Arts

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to increase the number of purpose-built buildings and studios for the creative industries in each of the English regions;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the availability of purpose-built workspaces for office and studio users in the creative industries in each region.

Edward Vaizey: We are aware of much good work being undertaken in the private sector on providing flexible incubation spaces for creative industries, for example, the network of Hub spaces in London or iShed in Bristol, to name just two. The Government have also undertaken work through Tech City to provide additional incubation workspaces for creative companies in London.
	Arts Council England have provided grants for artists' spaces through their 2001 Arts Capital programme and the 2003 Grants for the arts—capital programmes. This has included ACME Studios to funding purpose-built artist studio space in Harrow, Tower Hamlets, Southwark and Brent:
	http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/rfo/acme-studios/
	and
	http://www.acme.org.uk
	and
	Wysing Arts in Cambridge:
	http://www.wysingarts.org
	They have also refurbished existing artist workspaces (e.g. Stroud Valleys Artspace, Stroud) and converted existing non-arts buildings into artist workspaces (e.g. High Bridge Studios and Gallery, Newcastle).
	The £180 million large-scale capital programme launched by the Arts Council on 1 November 2011 prioritises the improved resilience and sustainability of existing arts infrastructure rather than funding for new, purpose-built buildings or artist studio spaces.

Arts Council England

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential effect on music education of reductions in the budget of Arts Council England.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 10 November 2011
	Funding for music education is primarily the responsibility of the Department for Education. Arts organisations funded by Arts Council England, which play a role in supporting and enhancing the delivery of music education, will continue to deliver a first rate offer. Its new Bridge network, including Sage Gateshead and the Royal Opera House will develop vital links between schools and arts organisations from April next year. Between them, the Bridge network organisations will receive £10 million per year.
	This is being achieved through an increase in lottery funding of 43% over the next four years, and limiting the savings required from the Arts Council’s front-line grant to 15% over the same period.
	Bids will shortly be invited for Arts Council England’s £45 million Touring Programme, which will be open to bids from a broad range of artforms, including organisations that could deliver music education projects across the country.

Cultural Quarter

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he is taking steps to support the Cultural Quarter at (a) Birmingham, (b) Eastside, (c) Southampton, (d) Doncaster, (e) Leicester and (f) Colchester.

Edward Vaizey: I attended and spoke at the Birmingham Creative City Launch on 25 October 2011, bringing together people from local businesses, arts and the local enterprise partnership with the aim to increase the area's economic output by 30% (£8.25 billion) and create 100,000 private sector jobs by 2020.
	This year Arts Council England has invested £97,704 regular funding in Birmingham City University and an additional £24,536 through grants for the arts to Eastside Projects Limited. On 31 March 2011 the National Portfolio decisions were announced by the Art Council England and consolidated the University and Eastside Projects Limited who will receive an award of £122,704.
	Arts Council England has offered Southampton city council £349,302 and Doncaster metropolitan borough council £43,758 from 2012-2015 as part of their National Portfolio. They have also made a capital investment of £7.2 million to deliver an arts complex across the larger Grosvenor and Southampton city council development, and £2.1 million to deliver a new performance venue in Doncaster.
	Leicester's Cultural Quarter hosts the Curve and Phoenix Square. The Curve will receive more than £5.7 million for 2012-15 from Arts Council England. From April 2012 Phoenix Square will receive more than £245,000 over a three year period to develop its programme of world-class digital art. In addition, Phoenix Square has received a national lottery grant for the arts award for £10,000 for a new media artist-in-residence project and resulting exhibition programme running between January and March 2012.
	The partnership between Colchester borough council (£4.25 million), Essex county council (£6.5 million), the University of Essex (£1 million), the East of England Development Agency (£6.24 million) and Arts Council England (£9.25 million) has delivered a £28 million capital investment in Firstsite, an international art gallery supporting many creative businesses and artists who work in the locality and increasing visitor numbers. Arts Council England is working closely with Colchester borough council and other public and private sector partners to establish the next phase of the quarter through the proposed development of a creative business centre, which, it is hoped, will grow their creative business profile and contribute to the vibrancy of the local economy.

Culture: Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the level of access to cultural education providers in each region; and what assessment he has made of the effects of such provision on regional arts organisations.

Edward Vaizey: Cultural education providers include a diverse range of organisations, including schools, further and higher education institutions, the voluntary, community and private sectors. It also encompasses cultural forms as diverse as architecture and the built environment, archives, craft, dance, design, digital arts, drama and theatre, film, heritage, literature, museums, music, poetry and the visual arts. Regional arts organisations are part of this infrastructure.
	This Department measures children’s and adult’s levels of engagement with cultural activities through the Taking Part survey. The latest adult and child findings can be found at:
	www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8398.aspx

Departmental Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

John Penrose: The information requested for part (a) is not held centrally by this Department, and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	The Department does not record centrally the number of times it has been taken to court or the number of decisions taken by the Department that were subject to a judicial review and the outcome of each case.
	However, I am able to confirm with regards to part (b), there have been three occasions since 6 May 2010 where an application of permission for judicial review has been sought where the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), or his predecessor, has been the defendant.
	Of these, permission to apply for judicial review was granted on one occasion. In the High Court, judgment was decided 93% in the Department for Culture, Media and Sports' favour. There is an appeal pending in the Court of Appeal.
	The second application was refused permission. The third application was withdrawn before the application was determined.
	In addition to the above, the Secretary of State is an interested party in another application for permission to judicial review. The application has not yet been determined, and is next before the court on 14 December.
	The Secretary of State was in addition party to a group of proceedings which have now settled.
	Finally, the Secretary of State has been added as a third party to a set of proceedings which are not technically classified as a judicial review but we are treating the case as if it were because a public law challenge has been brought. The case has settled. The Department's expenditure on legal advice for the years 2006-07 to 2011-12 is set out in the table.
	We are unable to provide the information in the manner in which you have requested because we do not separately record costs incurred for judicial reviews, and they are not readily identifiable from overall external legal costs expenditure.
	
		
			 Financial year Total (£) 
			 2011-12 958,691 
			 2010-11 1,706,527 
			 2009-10 2,536,095 
			 2008-09 2,499,831 
			 2007-08 2,262,809 
			 2006-07 2,540,994

Michael Hintze

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to his answer of 9 November 2011, Official Report, columns 318-19W, on Adam Werritty, what the nature was of the meeting between the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries and Michael Hintze on 21 July 2011; where the meeting took place; whether any civil servants were present; and who arranged for the meeting to take place.

Edward Vaizey: My meeting with Mr Michael Hintze on 21 July 2011 was a private meeting and no civil servants were present. The meeting took place in the Department and was arranged by my ministerial office and Michael Hintze’s office.
	Michael Hintze is a philanthropist who gives generously to a range of arts bodies, including an exceptional gift of £2 million from the Hintze Family Charitable Foundation to the National Gallery, announced in January of this year.

Olympic Games 2012: Roads

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what 
	(1)  steps his Department plans to take to support the tourist industry in central London during proposed road closures during the London 2012 Olympic games;
	(2)  estimate his Department has made of the cost to the tourist industry in central London of the proposed road closures to non-Olympic traffic during the London 2012 Olympic games.

Hugh Robertson: There are no plans for widespread road closures in central London for the 2012 games. Roads will be closed at certain times for planned road events, such as the Marathon, and a handful of roads will be closed to allow for the efficient and secure management of the sporting venues. Other than this, none of the roads on the Olympic route network (ORN) will be closed because, where games lanes are implemented, there will always be at least one other lane open to general traffic.
	Hosting the games is a huge logistical challenge. London 2012 and Transport for London is running an extensive programme of engagement with London's boroughs, residents and businesses in the run-up to the games. In particular, they are working with the tourism industry to help them make sensible preparations to make the most of the games and help manage demand for transport.
	The Department is committed to ensuring that the tourism industry maximise the economic benefits provided by the games. VisitBritain will be investing around £127 million in a new international marketing programme and we have recently announced a new campaign, which will be launched next year by VisitEngland, to use the games to boost domestic tourism.

Sports: Clubs

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what funding his Department provides for independent sports clubs running programmes for children.

Hugh Robertson: The Department does not directly award funding to sports clubs. The day to day decision making on funding would fall to the lottery distributors. The financial support available to community sports clubs is primarily channelled through Sport England's Whole Sport Plans for the National Governing Bodies; county sports partnerships and local authorities.

Theatres: Voluntary Work

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many people in each region volunteered in (a) theatres, (b) museums, (c) art galleries and (d) national heritage sites in each year from 1997 to July 2010.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 14 November 2011
	Data from the Taking Part survey shows the following percentage of adults in England who engaged in volunteering in each year from 2005-06:
	
		
			  Percentage of adults 
			 2005-06 23.8 
			 2006-07 24.0 
			 2007-08 24.0 
			 2008-09 25.0 
			 2009-10 (1)— 
			 2010-11 24.2 
			 (1) No data available. 
		
	
	Of those who volunteered, the following percentage of adults volunteered in arts, museums/galleries and heritage:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Arts Museums/galleries Heritage 
			 2005-06 6.3 1.4 4.9 
			 2006-07 5.9 1.1 4.2 
			 2007-08 7.0 1.2 4 
			 2008-09 6.4 1.1 4.7 
			 2009-10 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 2010-11 8.1 1.4 4.2 
			 (1) No data available. Source: Taking Part survey. 
		
	
	This information is also available on this Department’s website and can be accessed using the following link:
	http://www.dcms.gov.uk/publications/8462.aspx
	Regional volunteering data for the sectors requested is not available.
	Information prior to this is not collated centrally and to provide it, would incur disproportionate cost.

Data Protection

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Attorney-General what steps the Law Officers' Departments are taking to prevent the online dissemination of information relating to ongoing court cases.

Edward Garnier: The Law Officers Departments are not responsible for policing the content of the internet. Our Departments, for example the Crown Prosecution Service, will raise concerns with publishers of online material relating to ongoing court cases where a publication risks breaching reporting restrictions or amounting to contempt of court. This could also be done at the request of the court. Where a contempt is thought to have been committed the Department will raise that with the court so it may consider referring the matter to the Attorney-General, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Beaconsfield (Mr Grieve), or me for possible action.

Academies: Standards

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what intervention mechanisms are available to him should (a) an academy and (b) a free school be found by the regulator to be offering a sub-standard level of education.

Nick Gibb: The intervention powers of the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), in respect of academies and free schools are set out in each academy's or free school's Articles of Association and Funding Agreement.
	For all academies and free schools which have opened on the Department’s standard terms since September 2010, the Articles ensure that the Secretary of State can appoint additional governors to take over control of poorly performing academies. These additional governors can be appointed where an academy has failed to comply with a warning notice which the Secretary of State issued on the grounds that
	“the standards of performance of pupils at an Academy are unacceptably low”.
	Additional governors can alternatively be appointed where an academy has dropped by two Ofsted grades in a five year period or where a school which is in special measures is judged by Ofsted to have made inadequate progress at its next inspection and the Secretary of State is not satisfied with the academy's proposed action plan.
	The Funding Agreement also provides that the Secretary of State can terminate the Funding Agreement where the academy is in special measures, is judged by Ofsted to have made inadequate progress at the first monitoring report and the Secretary of State is dissatisfied with the academy's proposed Action Plan.

Care to Learn Programme

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will guarantee that the budget for the Care to Learn programme will not be reduced over the next spending period regardless of the results of his Department's consultation on Care to Learn.

Nick Gibb: We expect the Care to Learn budget to rise across the spending review period, as we move towards the raising of the participation age, to 17 in 2013 and to 18 in 2015.

Care to Learn Programme

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people aged (a) 19 and (b) 20 years receive funding through the Care to Learn scheme by (i) constituency and (ii) local authority area.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the Care to Learn allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, has written to the hon. Member for Leicester West with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Peter Lauener dated 7 November 2011
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question PQ78713 that asked:
	“How many people aged (a) 19 and (b) 20 years receive funding through the Care to Learn scheme by (i) constituency and (ii) local authority area.”
	The number of people aged 19 and 20 years who received funding through the Care to Learn scheme in the 2010/11 academic year was 1882 and 237 respectively. I have attached a breakdown of these figures by local authority area. These are take-up figures as at 31 August 2011.
	This information is not available by constituency.
	
		
			 National figures—All care to learn take-up for 2010/11 academic year—August 2011 
			  Age 
			 Local authority area: 19 years 20 years 
			 Barking and Dagenham 13 0 
			 Barnet 7 1 
			 Barnsley 6 0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 1 0 
			 Bedford 18 1 
			 Bexley 3 1 
			 Birmingham 48 3 
		
	
	
		
			 Blackburn with Darwen 10 1 
			 Blackpool 13 2 
			 Bolton 21 1 
			 Bournemouth 1 0 
			 Bracknell Forest 4 1 
			 Bradford 19 4 
			 Brent 15 3 
			 Brighton and Hove 4 2 
			 Bristol 23 4 
			 Bromley 8 0 
			 Buckinghamshire 4 3 
			 Bury 7 2 
			 Calderdale 11 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 16 1 
			 Camden 0 1 
			 Central Bedfordshire 7 1 
			 Cheshire East 12 1 
			 Cheshire West and Chester 13 4 
			 City of London 0 0 
			 Cornwall 30 1 
			 Coventry 21 1 
			 Croydon 30 8 
			 Cumbria 13 1 
			 Darlington 13 1 
			 Derby 14 1 
			 Derbyshire 23 3 
			 Devon 17 1 
			 Doncaster 10 1 
			 Dorset 5 1 
			 Dudley 2 1 
			 Durham 28 5 
			 Ealing 8 1 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 7 1 
			 East Sussex 14 0 
			 Enfield 15 2 
			 Essex 15 2 
			 Gateshead 10 2 
			 Gloucestershire 20 4 
			 Greenwich 6 1 
			 Hackney 17 1 
			 Halton 9 1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 5 1 
			 Hampshire 24 4 
			 Haringey 4 0 
			 Harrow 0 1 
			 Hartlepool 7 1 
			 Havering 5 2 
			 Herefordshire 2 0 
			 Hertfordshire 15 2 
			 Hillingdon 11 1 
			 Hounslow 6 2 
			 Isle of Wight 8 4 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 
			 Islington 7 4 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4 0 
			 Kent 36 3 
			 Kingston upon Hull 13 2 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1 0 
			 Kirklees 18 2 
		
	
	
		
			 Knowsley 12 1 
			 Lambeth 15 1 
			 Lancashire 59 8 
			 Leeds 31 5 
			 Leicester 16 5 
			 Leicestershire 22 3 
			 Lewisham 26 4 
			 Lincolnshire 25 0 
			 Liverpool 24 0 
			 Luton 9 0 
			 Manchester 24 1 
			 Medway 8 1 
			 Merton 6 2 
			 Middlesbrough 7 0 
			 Milton Keynes 19 4 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 14 1 
			 Newham 9 0 
			 Norfolk 9 1 
			 North East Lincolnshire 10 0 
			 North Lincolnshire 3 1 
			 North Somerset 4 0 
			 North Tyneside 14 0 
			 North Yorkshire 15 1 
			 Northamptonshire 27 0 
			 Northumberland 8 1 
			 Nottingham 22 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 37 1 
			 Oldham 29 3 
			 Oxfordshire 20 1 
			 Peterborough 6 2 
			 Plymouth 8 3 
			 Poole 3 0 
			 Portsmouth 6 1 
			 Reading 12 1 
			 Redbridge 17 1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 7 0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 0 
			 Rochdale 20 2 
			 Rotherham 5 1 
			 Rutland 1 0 
			 Salford 7 3 
			 Sandwell 21 1 
			 Sefton 12 1 
			 Sheffield 15 4 
			 Shropshire 6 2 
			 Slough 3 0 
			 Solihull 3 0 
			 Somerset 10 5 
			 South Gloucestershire 6 1 
			 South Tyneside 6 0 
			 Southampton 4 0 
			 Southend on Sea 7 0 
			 Southwark 19 4 
			 St Helens 8 1 
			 Staffordshire 21 6 
			 Stockport 24 2 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 5 0 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 12 0 
			 Suffolk 10 3 
			 Sunderland 16 0 
			 Surrey 9 3 
		
	
	
		
			 Sutton 9 2 
			 Swindon 6 0 
			 Tameside 15 2 
			 Telford and Wrekin 5 2 
			 Thurrock 2 0 
			 Torbay 6 1 
			 Tower Hamlets 4 2 
			 Trafford 8 2 
			 Wakefield 12 2 
			 Walsall 21 0 
			 Waltham Forest 5 1 
			 Wandsworth 4 1 
			 Warrington 6 2 
			 Warwickshire 19 3 
			 West Berkshire 5 0 
			 West Sussex 13 5 
			 Westminster 5 0 
			 Wigan 34 0 
			 Wiltshire 15 3 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1 0 
			 Wirral 14 1 
			 Wokingham 1 0 
			 Wolverhampton 11 3 
			 Worcestershire 23 5 
			 York 11 0 
			 Unmapped(1) 17 1 
			 Grand Total 1882 237 
			 (1 )Individuals unassigned to a local authority.

Children: Protection

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education by what date he expects the recommendations of Professor Munro's Review of Child Protection to be fully implemented.

Tim Loughton: Professor Munro's review of child protection was the very first review established in the Department for Education, on 10 June 2010, underlining the priority the Government place on getting child protection right. Professor Munro's recommendations emphasise the importance of system-wide reform. There are no quick fixes; nor is there a one off set of solutions to be imposed from the centre.
	The Government's response to Professor Munro's review, published on 13 July 2011, signalled the start of a shift in mindset and an essential re-balancing in the relationship between central Government and local government, local agencies and frontline professionals. Our aim, working in partnership with the sector, is to create the conditions for sustained, long-term reform which enables and inspires professionals to do their best for vulnerable children and their families.
	The Government's approach to the reform of the child protection system is driven by three key principles:
	trusting skilled frontline professionals to use their professional judgment;
	reducing bureaucracy and prescription to give professionals more time and space to work directly with children and families; and
	above all, being child-centred.
	We want to build a child protection system where the focus is very firmly on the experience of the child or young person's journey from needing to receiving help.
	The Government response set out indicative timescales for responding to Professor Munro's recommendations in the short to medium-term in order to establish a clear framework for future progress. We made clear that local leaders would need to determine the pace of reform in their areas in order to deliver the system-wide change needed to deliver lasting improvements.
	Professor Munro will undertake an interim assessment of progress in spring 2012.

Free Schools

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the outcome of the consideration he gave under section 9 of the Academies Act 2010 to the impact of establishing the free schools that opened in September 2011.

Nick Gibb: Under section 9 of the Academies Act 2010 the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), is under a duty to consider the impact of establishing a new school on maintained schools, academies and further education institutions in the area in which the additional school is (or is proposed to be) situated. This consideration includes free schools. Additionally any group whose proposal for a free school is progressed is required to consult locally on their proposals. When deciding whether or not to enter into a funding agreement the Secretary of State will take a range of views into account, alongside the impact assessment.

Free Schools

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many free schools are expected to be open by (a) 2012 and (b) 2015;
	(2)  how many free schools are operational; and how many plan to open in the academic year 2011-12;
	(3)  how many pupils are attending free schools.

Nick Gibb: We estimate that over 3,000 pupils have enrolled during the first intake for the 24 Free Schools that opened in September 2011. This means that these schools are on course to reach their full capacity in the coming years. Further information about the number of children on roll at each school will be collected in the School Census and published in due course. There are no plans to open further Free Schools in the current academic year, but the Department has completed the process of assessing the applications it has received to establish mainstream Free Schools in September 2012. The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), made an oral statement to the House on 10 October 2011, Official Report, columns 62-64, to announce that a further 55 mainstream Free Schools have been approved to move to the next stage of development. These schools will join eight mainstream Free Schools already in the pipeline for opening in 2012. A further number of proposals for Alternative Provision and Special Free Schools are under consideration.
	There will be further application rounds for groups hoping to open Free Schools in 2013 and beyond. The number of successful proposals in the future will depend on the quality of the proposals and the level of demand from parents and other groups.

Free Schools

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2011, Official Report, column 81W, on free schools: West London, when he expects to publish the funding agreement for the West London Free School.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 8 November 2011
	The funding agreement for the West London free school will be published in due course.

Free Schools: West London

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether any payment of grant has been made to the West London Free School.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 8 November 2011
	Since opening in September, the West London Free school has been receiving monthly payments of General Annual Grant (GAG) which is based on providing funding per pupil equivalent to that received by other state-funded schools in the same local authority area. The school has also been paid grant funding to help meet some development costs such as employing a principal designate ahead of opening, purchasing books and equipment, and meeting the costs of employing senior staff while the school builds up from the single year group admitted this September.

Local Government Services

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether he plans to require local authorities to give consideration to the use of a space for other community services when considering closing such services;
	(2)  whether his revised statutory guidance on Sure Start children's centres will (a) retain the presumption against closure and (b) ensure local authorities demonstrate that outcomes for children will not be adversely affected before decisions on closure are taken.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The revised statutory guidance will not change the legislative framework within which Sure Start children's centres operate. Local authorities will continue to have a legal duty to ensure there are sufficient children's centres in their localities, and to demonstrate that outcomes for children will not be affected. Revised statutory guidance will be published for consultation later on in the year and hon. Members will be given the opportunity to respond to that consultation. Further, the Localism Bill includes new rights for local communities, including the Community Right to Buy. If listed assets come up for sale, communities will have extra time to prepare a bid to take them over, making it easier to keep assets in public use and part of local life. Important local amenities and buildings, such as old town halls, community halls or children's centres, can be nominated for listing by the local authority as assets of community value. Where a local authority sells, transfers or changes the use of capital assets funded by the Department, the Department is likely to ‘claw back’ that funding. However, the Department may defer clawback where an asset continues to be used for a purpose relevant the original capital grant. These deferrals are assessed on a case by case basis.

Schools: Admissions

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to publish the revised School Admissions and School Admission Appeals Codes.

Nick Gibb: The White Paper, "The Importance of Teaching", announced our intention to review the School Admissions Code and the Appeals Code, with a view to delivering a simpler, more streamlined admissions process. We consulted between 27 May and 19 August on these draft codes, and received over 1,300 responses, over half from parents.
	We published both these codes on 2 November for local information and consultation purposes, alongside the departmental response to the consultation, and will shortly consult on the supporting draft regulations.
	We intend to lay the draft codes and regulations before Parliament in December, in order that they are able to come into force in February 2012 in time for the allocation of school places for admission in September 2013.

Schools: Pupils

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to address changes in the number of (a) primary school students from 2010 and (b) secondary school students from 2016.

Nick Gibb: It is the responsibility of each local authority to manage the supply and changes in demand for primary and secondary school places in their area, and secure a place for every child of statutory school age who wants one. The Department will continue to provide capital funding and monitor the situation with all local authorities to ensure there are sufficient school places.
	The Department collects information from each local authority on school capacity in maintained schools through an annual survey, which includes pupil forecast information (five years for primary places and seven years for secondary places). Forecasts are utilised in order to calculate the capital funding allocations to authorities to provide extra places for future growth in pupil numbers. The survey data at May 2010 is available this autumn and will inform future basic need funding allocations.

Students: Transport

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has assessed the 2011-12 local authority transport plans for 16 to 18 year olds; and what (a) affordable and (b) accessible transport is available for this age group.

Nick Gibb: The Department is undertaking an exercise to establish whether all local authorities have published transport policy statements as required by section 509AA of the Education Act 1996.
	Decisions regarding the extent of such arrangements, including the provision of any financial assistance, are for local authorities to make following appropriate consultation. Local authorities know the location of the schools, the colleges and the other providers—they know the transport infrastructure available and they know the young people who need their support.

Teachers: Pensions

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the participation rate for the teachers' pension scheme was for each pay band in each year from 2006 to 2010.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 8 November 2011
	The Department does not hold data on the breakdown of Teachers' Pension Scheme participation rates by pay band. The overall participation rate is, however, very high. The scheme accounts show that over the five-year period in question 14,701 teachers and lecturers opted out of the scheme, against a membership of approximately 650,000.

Balkans

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to visit (a) Serbia, (b) Macedonia and (c) Bosnia.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), visited Bosnia and Herzegovina in June 2010 and Serbia in August 2010, but has no current plans to visit Serbia, Macedonia or Bosnia and Herzegovina. In my capacity as Minister for Europe, I have visited all three countries over the last 18 months, in addition to visits to fellow Western Balkan countries Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro. I was in Serbia last month (31 October), where I had useful discussions about the country's EU perspective, and the importance of its dialogue with Kosovo.

British Nationals Abroad: Arrests

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the treatment of British nationals seized aboard the MV Saoirse and the Canadian vessel Al-Tahrir on 4 November 2011 by the Israeli navy.

Alistair Burt: The British embassy in Tel Aviv were made aware of the detention of one British national on 4 November following the interception of the Canadian vessel Al-Tahrir by the Israeli authorities. We were able to secure consular access to visit the individual on 5 November to check on his welfare and continued to do so until his deportation from Israel on 10 November.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Henry Bellingham: For security and operational reasons we do not comment on, or announce visits.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the recent political unrest in that country.

Henry Bellingham: At the start of the election campaign in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), I urged all candidates and their supporters to pursue their political goals peacefully. In response to increased tensions following inflammatory remarks made last week by one of the Presidential candidates, our ambassador in Kinshasa has called for all candidates to avoid language which could inflame tensions between communities or lead to confrontation with the security forces. He has also raised our concerns with opposition parties and the DRC authorities, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Middle East: Reconciliation

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had meetings with groups working to promote reconciliation in Israel and Palestine since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: Both the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I have attended numerous meetings here in the UK, in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories with groups who are working to promote reconciliation and have an interest in resolving the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

South Sudan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit South Sudan.

Henry Bellingham: For security and operational reasons we do not comment on, or announce visits.

Adam Werritty

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) he, (b) any Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have met (i) Mr Michael Hintze, (ii) Mr Tony Buckingham, (iii) Mr Michael Davis, (iv) Mr Poju Zabludowicz, (v) Jon Moulton and (vi) Stephen Crouch; and where any such meetings took place.

Bob Neill: Details of Ministers and the permanent secretary’s meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/transparencyingovernment/
	None of these meetings involved the individuals mentioned in the hon. Member’s question.
	Information in respect of other officials’ meetings is not held centrally, but I am not aware of any official meetings with these individuals.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many mobile telephones and BlackBerrys were provided to staff in his Department between June 2007 and May 2010; and what the total cost to the public purse was of (a) line rental, (b) insurance and (c) purchase of such telecommunications equipment.

Bob Neill: For the period 1 June 2007 to 1 May 2010 the Department spent £563,529 on mobile phones and BlackBerry devices (please note that this is the cost of all mobile devices including 39 3G cards that provide mobile internet access for nomadic laptop users). The total number of mobile phones and BlackBerry devices on issue to staff on 1 May 2010 was 735. Historical data detailing phones issued to staff in 2007 is not available.
	The Department does not pay for insurance and the expenditure above could be broken down into equipment cost and line rental only at disproportionate cost.
	Since the general election, my Department has taken steps to reduce spending in this area and improve value for money.

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many contracts his Department has awarded directly to (a) small, (b) medium-sized and (c) large businesses in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: This information on contract awards is not held centrally and could be answered only at disproportionate cost.
	However we are able to provide a breakdown of actual expenditure with small, medium and large business for the period requested which is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  (a) Small (b) Medium (c) Large 
			 May 2010 1,284,068 88,721 8,681,635 
			 June 2010 2,235,652 1,893,898 13,547,790 
			 July 2010 2,260,516 931,607 15,002,259 
			 August 2010 915,982 871,949 10,777,668 
			 September 2010 1,497,524 659,873 13,571,753 
			 October 2010 1,714,476 644,327 10,560,014 
			 November 2010 716,534 758,795 8,834,490 
			 December 2010 1,916,445 7,844 12,290,245 
			 January 2011 1,517,422 922,645 3,252,599 
			 February 2011 622,344 467,317 6,884,927 
			 March 2011 1,347,256 1,551,537 15,112,618 
			 April 2011 483,508 494,601 26,297,407 
			 May 2011 315,820 720,028 5,788,205 
			 June 2011 875,492 283,613 14,925,833 
			 July 2011 230,866 661,771 4,820,054 
			 August 2011 171,865 448,885 6,938,733 
			 September 2011 669,393 302,750 11,055,465 
			 Total 18,775,164 11,710,162 188,341,694 
		
	
	As part of the Government's wider agenda to open up opportunities to small and medium-sized enterprises, DCLG has published its 'pipeline' of business, which will be updated on a quarterly basis, on the departmental website and has also placed guidance on the website to support these enterprises when bidding for business.

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many contracts his Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; what proportion were awarded to (a) third sector organisations and (b) small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The following table provides a month by month breakdown of the contract opportunities and values published by DCLG on Contracts Finder (since it launched in January 2011) from February 2011 to October 2011. There is no present capability to highlight contract awards to third sector organisations on Contracts Finder.
	
		
			  Total number Small businesses Percentage proportion awarded to small businesses Total contract value (£) 
			 February 2011 8 1 13 1,012,462 
			 April 2011 6 0 0 226,765 
			 May 2011 3 0 0 329,079 
			 July 2011 7 0 0 624,399 
			 October 2011 1 1 100 161,575 
			 Total 25 2 8 2,354,280 
		
	
	As part of the Government's wider agenda to open up opportunities to small and medium sized enterprises, DCLG has published its 'pipeline' of business, which will be updated on a quarterly basis, on the departmental website and has also placed guidance on the website to support these enterprises when bidding for business.

Departmental Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken was; on what dates it took place; and what the names were of the organisations assisted.

Bob Neill: Charitable giving is a personal matter for individuals, although it is encouraged by Government. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), and his ministerial team, like all Government Ministers, have pledged to undertake a “One Day Challenge” with a charity or community group of their choice. This is a clear and public commitment by Ministers to give their time to help others. The pledge aims to inspire others to consider how they might be able to support their communities to benefit themselves, as well as their chosen organisations.
	A list of the charities and voluntary groups that Ministers are closely involved with can also be found in the Cabinet Office’s List of Ministers’ Interests at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/ministers-interests.pdf

Fire Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the Gateway Review final report on FireControl.

Bob Neill: A copy of the Office Government of Commerce—Gateway Review 3B Investment Decision report has been deposited in the Library of the House. As the project was not subject to the Gateway Review 4 Readiness for Service, this is the most recent Gateway Review report.

Housing

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many net additional dwellings were created in England in each year between 1990-91 and 2000-01 inclusive; and how many and what proportion of such dwellings were (a) net build completions, (b) net conversions, (c) net change of use, (d) net other gains and (e) demolitions in each such year.

Grant Shapps: Estimates as available are shown in the following table. A full breakdown for the period requested is not possible because the Department for Communities and Local Government's official statistics series on 'net supply of housing' began in 2000-01.
	The estimates of net supply are derived from the differences between successive annual stock estimates. Some estimates for net conversions and demolitions are shown where available, based on local authority returns in some years. Estimates are not available for net change of use and net other gains and losses.
	
		
			  Net additional dwellings completed, England New build completions Net conversions Demolitions 
			  Number Percentage  (1) Number Percentage  (1) Number Percentage  (1)  e Number Percentage  (1) 
			 1990-91 n/a(2) — 160 — n/a(2) — — — 
			 1991-92 165 100 155 94 12 7 — — 
			 1992-93 151 100 142 94 8 5 — — 
			 1993-94 152 100 148 97 8 5 — — 
			 1994-95 166 100 158 95 10 6 — — 
			 1995-96 163 100 155 95 9 6 — — 
			 1996-97 154 100 146 95 9 6 — — 
			 1997-98 156 100 150 96 3 2 14 -9 
			 1998-99 149 100 140 94 4 3 14 -10 
			 1999-2000 148 100 142 96 4 3 17 -12 
			 2000-01 132 100 133 101 3 2 20 -15 
			 (1) Percentages in the table do not sum to 100 because estimates are not available for net change of use and net other gains and losses. (2) Prior to 1991, dwelling stock estimates were compiled as at 31 December each year. From 1991 onwards this was changed to 31 March each year. Therefore, no meaningful figure for the change in dwelling stock between 1990 and 1991 can be provided. Sources: Net additional dwellings: data for 2000-01 were collected in the Housing Flows Reconciliation return from local authorities. Prior to this, estimates of net housing supply were calculated from the dwelling stock estimates in Live Table 104: “Dwelling stock by tenure, England”, available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at the following link. http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/stockincludingvacants/livetables/ New build completions: “House Building statistics”, available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at the following link. http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/housebuilding/

Local Government: Pensions

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what economic impact assessment his Department has carried out on the effect of proposed changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme on Workington constituency.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Members for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) and Stoke-on-Trent Central (Tristram Hunt), on 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 23W.

Organised Crime: Departmental Coordination

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Minister in his Department is a member of the inter-ministerial group dealing with gang culture; and on what dates they have attended meetings of the group.

Bob Neill: holding answer 7 November 2011
	The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles) attends the inter-ministerial group on gangs. The group has met on a number of occasion.

Green Economy Council

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings of the Green Economy Council he has attended.

Chloe Smith: The Green Economy Council comprises ministers from the Department for Business, Innovation for Skills, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and business representatives from a cross-section of industries and sectors. The full membership list is available online at:
	http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreald=2&ReleaseID=418063&SubjectId=2

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax-planning schemes were disclosed to HM Revenue and Customs in the year preceding the announcement of the 50 per cent. rate of income tax on 22 April 2009; and how many have been disclosed since that announcement.

David Gauke: 138 direct tax avoidance schemes were disclosed to HMRC from 22( )April 2008 to 21 April 2009 under the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes (DOTAS) regime. From 22 April 2009 to date 354 direct tax avoidance schemes have been disclosed.
	Disclosed direct tax avoidance schemes can include arrangements which are not aimed at income tax avoidance. For example, schemes may aim to avoid capital gains tax, national insurance contributions or corporation tax. The disclosure statistics are published on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/avoidance/statsoct11.xls

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 4 October 2011 with regard to Mr M. Cowen.

Chloe Smith: The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, my noble Friend Lord Sassoon, replied to the right hon. Member on 9 November 2011.

Public Sector: Part-time Employment

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of public sector workers who work part-time; and what proportion of such workers are women.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 10 November 2011
	I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has made of the proportion of public sector workers who work part-time; and what proportion of such workers are women. (79793)
	The latest period for which figures are available is 2010. ONS estimates that 38 per cent of public sector employees work part-time and that 85 per cent of these employees are women.

VAT: Channel Islands

John Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to maintain low value consignment relief for genuinely indigenous businesses in the Channel Islands; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: I see no case for providing businesses based in the Channel Islands with a tax advantage compared to their UK based competitors, particularly given the ease of access to the UK market provided by HMRC's import VAT pre-payment scheme for Channel Island based companies.

VAT: Imports

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the increase in receipts to the Exchequer if his planned changes to low value consignment relief included all non-EU jurisdictions.

David Gauke: It was recently announced that effective from April, 2012, the LVCR will be removed entirely from all imports from the Channel Islands. The estimate of the increase in receipts to the Exchequer from this measure will be announced in the autumn statement, 2011. However, if the LVCR were to be removed from all non-EU jurisdictions as well, then the further increase from all non-EU jurisdictions would be of the order £15 million.

Anti-Semitism

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps her Department has taken to combat anti-Semitism since July 2010; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: The Government are committed to confronting anti-Semitism wherever it is found. Policy on tackling anti-Semitism across the UK is co-ordinated by the Department for Communities and Local Government through the cross-Government working group on anti-Semitism. This Group meets on a quarterly basis and includes representatives from the Community Security Trust, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council.
	The Government's approach to tackling anti-Semitism across the United Kingdom can be found in the "Three Years on Progress Report" which is available in the Library and at this link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/antisemitismresponse
	The Equality Act 2010 also demonstrates the Government's commitment to promotion of racial and religious equality across Wales and Great Britain. The Welsh Government also have responsibility for some aspects of community cohesion in Wales and the Government are working closely with the Welsh Government to ensure progress in these areas is consistent across the UK.

Bell Pottinger Group

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) political advisers in her Department have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed.

David Jones: Since May 2010, the Wales Office publishes information on ministerial meetings with external organisations and hospitality received on a quarterly basis.
	We do not hold centrally records of engagements as requested by the hon. Member and the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Creative Industries

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps she is taking to increase access to finance by small and medium-sized enterprises in the creative industries in Wales.

David Jones: The Government recognises that to support growth in the private sector, including in the creative industries, a flow of credit must be available to viable SMEs.
	In February 2011, the Government reached an agreement with five of the UK's biggest banks that secured £190 billion of new business lending and will increase lending to SMEs across the sectors to £76 billion, a 15% increase on the amount lent in 2010. £56.1 billion of this has been lent to SMEs in the first three quarters of 2011.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with Ministers in the Department for Transport on High Speed 2.

David Jones: In line with the Ministerial Code I am the Wales Office Minister handling all matters relating to High Speed 2.
	I have regular discussions with a range of interested parties, including Ministers in the Department for Transport, on issues that affect Wales, including rail infrastructure.

Youth Parliaments

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Education on establishing youth parliament members for constituencies in Wales.

David Jones: We recognise the importance of allowing young people to represent the views of their peers and to contribute to Government policies that affect them.
	The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), is due to discuss Welsh representation and other issues with the UK Youth Parliament in the weeks to come.

Crisis Loans

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Social Fund crisis loans were (a) granted and (b) refused to (i) individuals registered as disabled, (ii) individuals over the pension age and (iii) lone parent households in each of the last 12 months.

Steve Webb: Please see the following tables.
	
		
			 Crisis loan awards by client over last 12 months 
			   Disabled Pensioner Lone Parent 
			 2010 November 36,800 900 21,800 
			  December 32,600 700 18,100 
			      
			 2011 January 39,800 1,000 24,300 
			  February 37,600 1,000 22,300 
			  March 40,000 1,100 24,000 
			  April 28,600 600 15,500 
			  May 32,100 600 17,900 
			  June 29,600 500 18,000 
			  July 27,300 500 17,100 
			  August 27,700 500 18,700 
			  September 27,700 500 18,800 
			  October 25,000 400 14,900 
		
	
	
		
			 Crisis loan refusals by client of last 12 months 
			   Disabled Pensioner Lone Parent 
			 2010 November 9,100 600 7,500 
			  December 7,500 300 5,700 
			      
			 2011 January 8,700 500 6,500 
			  February 8,500 500 6,700 
			  March 10,200 600 8,000 
			  April 6,700 400 5,100 
			  May 7,000 300 4,700 
			  June 6,500 200 4,500 
			  July 6,000 200 4,100 
			  August 5,800 100 3,900 
			  September 5,500 100 3,700 
			  October 4,800 100 3,100 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Applications represent applications processed rather than applications received. 3. Figures are for applications received, not for the number of people who made an application, and for initial awards made, not the number of people who received an initial award. (Some people made more than one application or received more than one initial award.) 4. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System.

Crisis Loans

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for a (a) second, (b) third and (c) fourth or more crisis loan were (i) granted and (ii) declined in the last 12-month period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Multiple applications awarded and declined in 2010-11 
			 Number Refused Awards Total 
			 1 258,900 1,021,800 1,280,700 
			 2 129,700 549,700 679,400 
			 3 81,000 336,400 417,400 
			 4+ 198,100 717,300 915,400 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are derived from scans data and therefore differ to those published in the Secretary of State's annual report on the social fund figures based on 2010-11 data. 2. Awarded figures are based on an initial award. 3. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. 4. Figures may not sum due to rounding. 5. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, they do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund computer system. 6. Figures are for applications received, not for the number of people who made an application, and for initial awards made, not the number of people who received an initial award. (Some people made more than one application or received more than one initial award.) Source: Scan of Social Fund Computer System

Crisis Loans

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Government continues to provide benefits to meet the interest payments on a loan which had been taken out by a person now on benefits when an endowment policy accompanying a mortgage matures but does not provide sufficient funds to pay off the balance of that mortgage.

Steve Webb: This is a complex area, and each case has to be considered on its own merits.
	A claimant receiving an income-related benefit may be entitled to support for mortgage interest towards the interest on a mortgage. Where an endowment mortgage matures and leaves a shortfall on the capital outstanding on the mortgage, the claimant may choose to make new arrangements to repay the existing debt.
	Loans which are taken out while the claimant is receiving benefit do not normally qualify for housing costs assistance. But, depending on the particular facts of the individual case, there are provisions in Regulations which allow for continued entitlement to support for mortgage interest payment where:
	A new loan is a qualifying ‘home purchase loan’ under the relevant legislation; and
	the new loan is being taken out to repay a previous qualifying loan; and
	the new loan does not exceed the old loan.
	The amount payable will be limited to the same capital ceiling as was met under the original qualifying loan, and will be determined by applying the standard interest rate to the eligible capital on the new loan. No assistance is available towards capital repayments under any mortgage.

Disability Living Allowance

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes to the Motability Finance rules removing the four week discretionary extension while disability living allowance claims are awaiting a decision.

Maria Miller: Eligibility to the Motability scheme is dependant on receipt of the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance or war pensioners mobility supplement. When payment of these benefits cease it is Motability’s policy to recover their vehicles. Motability advised that in the challenging economic climate they didn't believe that the cost of supporting discretionary extensions for those people who are appealing a disability living allowance decision should be borne by other scheme customers.
	Further questions about the recent changes to the scheme should be directed to Motability and can be sent to: Declan O'Mahony, Director, Motability, Warwick House, Roydon Road, Harlow, Essex CM19 5PX.

Employment Schemes: Voluntary Organisations

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department will offer support to voluntary sector groups involved in delivering the Work programme who have not yet received any referrals.

Chris Grayling: Referrals to voluntary sector groups are made by Work programme providers, and are a commercial matter for the parties involved. The Department cannot intervene in the business relationships between Work programme providers and their sub-contractors, but is working with Jobcentre Plus and providers to ensure that claimants who would benefit from the support of voluntary sector organisations are being referred appropriately to the programme.
	A total of 699 supply chain places are occupied by voluntary and community sector organisations. This represents a total of 423 different voluntary and community sector organisations in tier 1 and 2.

Employment Schemes: Voluntary Organisations

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 10 June 2011, Official Report, columns 50-52WS, on Work programme launch, how many voluntary sector providers were (a) prime providers, (b) tier 1 providers and (c) tier 2 providers.

Chris Grayling: There are two Work programme prime providers from the voluntary sector; both have been delivering since the launch. Supply chains were not finalised on the launch date, but a stocktake undertaken on 12 August 2011 shows 108 voluntary sector providers in tier 1 and 315 in tier 2. Some organisations may be engaged in both tiers and some organisations have more than one contract with one or more prime provider. Consequently, the 423 tier 1 and tier 2 organisations between them had 699 subcontracts.

Employment Schemes: Voluntary Organisations

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many voluntary sector providers were involved in delivering the Work programme on the most recent date for which figures are available; and how many of these were (a) prime providers, (b) tier 1 providers and (c) tier 2 providers;
	(2)  what the date was of his Department's most recent stocktake of providers to the Work Programme.

Chris Grayling: The Department's most recent stocktake of providers involved in the Work programme took place on 12 August 2011.
	The stocktake identified that the number of voluntary and community based organisations involved in delivering the Work programme was:
	(a) two prime providers;
	(b) 108 tier 1 providers; and
	(c) 315 tier 2 providers.

Funeral Payments

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many defaults there were on the repayment of funeral payments from the deceased’s estate in each of the last 12 months.

Steve Webb: Funeral payments are not recoverable except from the estate of the deceased. A recovery schedule is not required for repayment and therefore there is nothing to default on. Funeral payments are automatically written off at the time they are made, unless there appears to be an estate to recover from in which case follow up action is taken to attempt to recover the payment made. The Department has first call on the deceased’s estate.
	In 2010-11, £42 million was written off as there was no estate to recover from and £0.3 million was recovered during the year.

Housing Benefit: Rural Areas

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of his proposed changes to housing benefit on people aged between 25 and 35 years living in sparsely populated rural areas.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available. The equality impact assessment of the increase to the shared accommodation rate age threshold, available on the DWP website at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-hb-shared-accommodation-age-threshold.pdf
	contains estimates of the impacts of this measure at both Government office region and local authority area level.
	The Department has commissioned an independent review and monitoring of the local housing allowance which will include an assessment of the impacts of extending the shared accommodation rate. It will provide information on the effects of the measures in a variety of different housing markets, including rural areas.

Pension Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of pension credit (a) are below the state pension retirement age and (b) wish to work.

Steve Webb: As at February 2011 there were 232,610 men aged under 65 in receipt of pension credit. We do not hold any information on how many of this group are actively seeking employment.
	Notes:
	1. The pension credit qualifying age is the same as women's state pension age as such it is not possible for a female to claim pension credit under state pension age.
	2. Figures provided are for pension credit recipients. Pension credit recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner.
	3. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	4. Men who are under their state pension age but have reached the pension credit qualifying age can claim pension credit or income based jobseekers allowance which requires recipients to actively seek employment.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent data as at November 2009

Pensions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to increase efficiency at the Pensions Regulator.

Steve Webb: The Pensions Regulator was set up in April 2005 with a new proactive and risk-based regulatory approach, placing greater emphasis on identifying and tackling real risks to members' benefits. The delivery of the daily business is managed by the chief executive, reporting to the Board of the Pensions Regulator. There is also ongoing assessment of the Regulator's performance at both ministerial and official level. Following a request from Ministers in line with DWP's other non-departmental public bodies, the Pensions Regulator have submitted proposals to reduce their operating costs over the spending review period which will be achieved by a number of initiatives to increase efficiencies in the Pension Regulator's business whilst maintaining or improving standards of service delivery. The Pensions Regulator publishes a business plan annually and submits an annual report on all its activities to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), which is then laid before Parliament.

Social Security Benefits

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to reduce the level of benefit underpayments; and what consideration he has given to setting a target for such activity.

Chris Grayling: The Department is committed to achieving reductions in the levels of both benefit under and overpayments as a result of fraud and error, and the publication of our joint strategy with HMRC last October, “Tackling fraud and error in the benefit and tax credits system” is a clear demonstration of this.
	The Department's fraud and error reduction activity is currently focused on implementing the strategy. The initiatives in place and being introduced as part of the strategy are focused on improving levels of overall correctness both at the point of payment and during the lifetime of a claim, and will therefore address both under and overpayments.
	The Department already routinely data-matches DWP benefits to identify irregularities and check the correct rate of benefit is being paid and targets both under and overpayments. Under the strategy and as part of a new integrated risk and intelligence unit this will be extended to data matching with credit reference agencies to ensure that a benefit is correct before it is put into payment. In addition, the Department is undertaking a large scale programme of correction and review activity (case cleanse), which will identify under and overpayments where customers have failed to report their correct circumstances.
	Other activities to help reduce the level of under and overpayments include the introduction of an independent national checking tier focusing on working age benefits, to check a sample of benefit claims for error covering the process from initial contact to first payment. Critically, it will help the Department confirm where in the process the error began and allow us to address this. Also, a mandatory new claims check for working age benefits was introduced in March 2011, directing staff to confirm all other DWP benefits being received before a decision is reached on the total amount payable. This check also identifies additional benefit entitlements which may otherwise not be paid.
	The Department has considered setting a target for reducing the level of underpayments. However, we have concluded that the introduction of a formal and external target would not add any significant extra value to our current activity to tackle underpayments for the reasons outlined in the Permanent Secretary's letter to you on 12 October.
	The introduction of universal credit will increase annual payments by £4 billion, two thirds of which will be due to better take-up from recipients.

Agricultural Wages Board

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if her Department will undertake periodic reviews on the effects on wages of agricultural workers of the closure of the Agricultural Wages Board.

James Paice: There are no plans for specific reviews on the effect on wages of agricultural workers if the Agricultural Wages Board is abolished. Information on wages in all sectors of the economy (including agriculture) is monitored through the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings which is run by the Office for National Statistics.

Birds of Prey

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to protect birds of prey.

Richard Benyon: All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which implements the EC wild birds directive in Great Britain. This provides a powerful framework for the conservation of wild birds, their eggs, nests and habitats. Across the UK there are also a number of special protection areas that have been classified for birds of prey.
	The persecution of birds of prey is a wildlife crime priority for the UK. This priority has been addressed through action plans which include prevention, intelligence and enforcement measures aimed at delivering a targeted, focused tactical response.
	The National Wildlife Crime Unit (part funded by the Government) gathers records and monitors information and intelligence about illegal activities affecting birds of prey. It uses this information to support the wildlife crime priority action plans, as well as to assist individual enforcers in their investigations. It also works closely with all the UK administrations as species conservation is a devolved matter.
	Trade in endangered species of wild birds of prey is controlled by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, an international agreement between governments whose aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Cocklers

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps she is taking in respect of the safety of cocklers following recent rescues in the Ribble estuary;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the rescue of cocklers in the Ribble estuary.

Richard Benyon: The North West Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NWIFCA) is responsible for the management of the cockle fishery on the Ribble estuary. This fishery is managed through byelaws. Byelaw No. 5 requires cocklers to obtain a permit to fish from the IFCA. In order to obtain a permit, applicants must complete appropriate safety training as part of the application process.
	Impacts arising from the Ribble estuary fishery are being managed by a multi-agency committee led by Fylde council (north side) and Sefton council (south side). Comprehensive multi-agency plans have been prepared and endorsed by the NWIFCA, local authorities, the police, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), the Marine and Coastguard Agency, Natural England, the Mersey Port Health Authority and other bodies.
	In the interest of public safety, NWIFCA have taken the decision to close the fishery on the Ribble by virtue of an emergency byelaw. This byelaw, which prevents anybody from removing cockles without written authorisation from the IFCA, came into effect at 00:01 hours on Monday 7 November 2011 and will be reviewed at the IFCAs next meeting on 6 December 2011. I am encouraged by the cross agency working that has been taking place in the Ribble area over the past few weeks. The IFCA will need to work with other local authorities to enforce this closure.
	While I support the IFCAs decision to close the fishery, it is a matter of regret that this action has had to be taken as legitimate fishermen are being denied their livelihood by the reckless actions of some and the illegal actions of a few. NWIFCA are currently considering what additional management measures are required to enable the fishery to reopen to these legitimate fishers as soon as possible, and in doing so will need to be satisfied that the safety of fishermen is not compromised.
	Regular discussions are held with the Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), on issues of mutual interest, including safety at sea which is discussed when the need arises.

Dangerous Dogs

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to tackle dangerous dogs.

James Paice: We have made it a priority to look at the complex issue of dangerous dogs which is an increasingly important issue for the public. We are now considering a package of measures to address the issue; by toughening legislation and promoting preventative action.
	We shall shortly announce measures to tackle dangerous dogs and make our streets safer.

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many contracts her Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; what proportion were awarded to (a) third sector organisations and (b) small businesses; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: In line with Government policy, DEFRA began publishing contract information on the Contracts Finder website from January 2011.
	The following table shows data for the core department for contracts awarded and registered on Contracts Finder.
	
		
			 As at each month 2011 Total Small/medium businesses 
			 January 14 10 
			 February 11 9 
			 March 25 18 
			 April 11 9 
			 May 10 7 
			 June 6 3 
			 July 7 5 
			 August 11 8 
			 September 6 2 
			 October 3 2 
		
	
	The Contracts Finder website does not record information on which bodies are third sector organisations or small businesses. The figures for small/medium above are taken from core department central records but figures for the third sector could be given only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Research

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's research and development budget was in each of the last five years; and what that budget will be for each year of the spending review period.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA's Research and Development spend for the last five years is in the following table.
	
		
			  Spend (£ million) 
			 2006-07 137 
			 2007-08 130 
			 2008-09 128 
			 2009-10 120 
			 2010-11 104 
		
	
	DEFRA has not yet determined the details of its research spend for each year of the spending review period.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by her Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: No named day parliamentary questions have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010; 13 ordinary written questions have remained unanswered for that period.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Environment Protection: Local Authorities

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what data on conservation and biodiversity local authorities are required to submit to her Department under the Single Data List.

Richard Benyon: The single data list requires local authorities to submit data on the percentage and number of local sites where positive conservation management is being or has been implemented in the last five years (along with the total number of sites in the local authority area). This data was formerly required by National Indicator 197 and continues as part of the single data list (data collection reference 160-00).

Fisheries: Ribble Estuary

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to address issues arising from cockle-picking on the Ribble estuary.

Richard Benyon: The North West Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NWIFCA) is responsible for the management of the cockle fishery on the Ribble estuary. This fishery is managed through byelaws. Byelaw No. 5 requires cocklers to obtain a permit to fish from the IFCA. In order to obtain a permit, applicants must complete appropriate safety training as part of the application process.
	Impacts arising from the fishery are managed by a multi-agency committee led by Fylde council (north side) and Sefton council (south side). Comprehensive multi-agency plans have been prepared and endorsed by the NWIFCA, local authorities, the police, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Natural England, the Mersey Port Health Authority and other bodies.
	In the interest of public safety, NWIFCA have taken the decision to close the fishery on the Ribble by virtue of an emergency byelaw. This byelaw, which prevents anybody from removing cockles without written authorisation from the IFCA, came into effect at 00:01 hours on Monday 7 November 2011 and will be reviewed at the IFCAs next meeting on 6 December 2011. I am encouraged by the cross agency working that has been taking place in the Ribble area over the past few weeks. The IFCA will need to work with other local authorities to enforce this closure.
	While I support the IFCAs decision to close the fishery, it is a matter of regret that this action has had to be taken as legitimate fishermen are being denied their livelihood by the reckless actions of some and the illegal actions of a few. NWIFCA are currently considering what additional management measures are required to enable the fishery to reopen to these legitimate fishers as soon as possible, and in doing so will need to be satisfied that the safety of fishermen is not compromised.
	Officers from the GLA, which is a DEFRA non-departmental body, are investigating recent reports concerning cocklers in the Ribble estuary area. If the GLA finds evidence that gangmasters were involved, it will take appropriate action under its statutory powers.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with her (a) Spanish, (b) Italian, (c) Polish and (d) French counterparts on likely levels of non-compliance with the welfare of laying hens directive from 1 January 2012; what data her Department hold on such levels; and if she will publish such data;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with her (a) Dutch and (b) Belgian counterparts on likely levels of non-compliance with the welfare of laying hens directive; what information her Department holds on likely levels of non-compliance; and if she will publish any such information.

James Paice: All member states were asked by the Commission to provide the level of progress at 1 April, a forecast for December 2011, and more recently an update on the level of conversion as at 27 September 2011. The UK has submitted these returns to the Commission as requested. Likely levels of non-compliance were discussed at a recent meeting in Brussels. The Commission to date has not published these data.
	However, at a European Parliament debate in October, the Commission acknowledged for the first time that Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Poland, Portugal and Romania did not expect to be fully compliant. Another five other member states, including Spain, had also failed to provide any data to the Commission.
	The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), wrote jointly with nine other concerned member states to the European Commission in September. They urged the Commission to act quickly to protect those producers across the EU who will have complied with the ban, from the risk of competitive distortion in favour of those who will have maintained illegal production after 1 January 2012.
	Discussions at an EU level are ongoing and the UK is fully engaged with the Commission and other member states in finding a practical enforcement solution.

Adam Werritty

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, columns 228-9W, on Adam Werritty, what the nature was of the social events at which the Minister for International Security Strategy met Mr Werritty.

Gerald Howarth: I met Mr Werritty at a sporting event and a wedding.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel returning from Afghanistan are receiving help with mental health issues due to the trauma of service.

Andrew Robathan: Defence Analysis Statistics and Advice (DASA) records attendance by service personnel at the Ministry of Defence's Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs). During the most recent full financial year (2010-11), a total of 1,670 UK service personnel who had deployed to Afghanistan were recorded as having been assessed for a new episode of care at a DCMH. Conditions treated include alcohol abuse, depression, adjustment disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
	Because DASA do not hold information on discharge from care, we are unable to provide information on those who are currently receiving treatment. Also, in most cases where a mental disorder is diagnosed there may be a number of causal factors involved, of which trauma caused by operational deployment is just one.

Armed Forces: Education

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost is of service education allowances in 2011-12; and what estimate he has made of the future cost of the allowances.

Andrew Robathan: The current estimated gross cost of Continuity of Education Allowances (CEA) for financial year 2011-12 is £175 million. It is expected to reduce to £170 million in 2012-13 taking into account savings measures agreed during the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), the impacts of which are yet to be realised. Thereafter the estimated cost of CEA, if current levels of uptake continue, may begin to rise again as inflationary factors are taken into account.
	On future costs, I refer the hon. Member to the statement made on 13 October 2011, Official Report, columns 36-38WS, by the Minister for the Armed Forces, my hon. Friend the Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey), which stated that the Government has a target to reduce spending on CEA by at least half by 2020.

Armed Forces: Members

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment his Department has made of the value to (a) parliamentarians and (b) the armed services of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence greatly values the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme. The scheme was subject to a review in 2006 which assessed that the scheme performs an important and valuable role in giving Members of Parliament and Members of the House of Lords an understanding of the role operations and management of the armed forces.

Defence: Procurement

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) original budget, (b) projected final cost, (c) expected time scales for delivery, (d) primary contractor and (e) identity of additional consortium members are in relation to the Nimrod MRA 4 project.

Peter Luff: The initial approved cost for the Nimrod MRA4 aircraft project was £2.813 billion. The procurement costs as at March 2011 were £3.010 billion, excluding the cost of capital charges and support phase costs, which had been included in previously reported costs. By May 2010, Nimrod MRA4 was 114 months late and £789 million over the original approved cost.
	Following the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Government took the decision that, owing to the financial blackhole it inherited, the Nimrod MRA4 aircraft would not be brought into service. The prime contractor for the programme was BAE Systems. Major subcontractors included Rolls-Royce, Boeing, Smiths Industries and Thales; however, BAE Systems did not develop the Nimrod MRA4 as part of a consortium.
	There was no guarantee when the aircraft would be ready or how much more it would have cost.

Defence: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies submitted an expression of interest in the Regional Prime Scotland and Northern Ireland contract.

Andrew Robathan: 70 companies who submitted an expression of interest (EOI) for the Scotland and Northern Ireland Regional Prime are shown in the following list.
	AECOM Ltd
	Amey PLC
	Arthur Mackay & Co Ltd
	Arup
	Babcock International Group
	BAE Systems Surface Ships Support Ltd
	BAM Nuttal Ltd
	Barnes Group Ltd
	Bell Ingram Ltd
	BRITSPACE
	Bruton Knowles
	Carillion Enterprise Ltd
	CCG Construction Ltd
	City Building (Glasgow) LLP
	COFELY Ltd
	Currie and Brown UK Ltd
	Daden Ltd
	DynCorp International
	Ecovert FM Ltd
	Faithful + Gould
	Forbo Flooring UK Ltd
	G3 Systems
	GBM Demolition
	George Leslie Ltd
	Godfrey Syrett Ltd
	GSS Plant
	GVA Grimley Ltd
	HCR Ltd
	HOCHTIEF Facility Management GmBH
	Iconoclast Ltd
	Integral UK Ltd
	Interior Services Group
	Interserve Ltd
	Kelda Water Services (Defence) Ltd
	Kellogg Brown & Root Ltd
	Kier Facilities Services Ltd
	Landmarc Support Services Ltd
	MANSELL Construction Services Ltd
	McLaren Construction Group
	Miller Developments Ltd
	MITIE Group PLC
	MVA Consultancy Ltd
	Northcroft Group Ltd
	NICEIC Consulting
	Osiris Marine Services Ltd
	PDP Green Consulting Ltd
	Pick Everard
	PriDE (SERP) Ltd
	Provelio Ltd
	Rider Levett Bucknall UK Ltd
	Robertson Group Ltd
	RW Services Ltd
	Sage (UK) Ltd
	Savills (L&P) Ltd
	Serco Ltd
	Sodexo Ltd
	Specialised Technology Group
	Specialist Subsea Services Ltd
	SSE Contracting
	Tarmac Ltd
	The Erith Group of Companies
	Thomas Johnstone Ltd
	Thomas Vale Construction Ltd
	Turner Facility Management
	UK Power Network Holdings
	URS Corporation Ltd
	Veolia Water
	Voormeroon Ltd
	Wates Group Ltd
	Willmott Dixon Capital Works Ltd
	In addition a further five companies based in Northern Ireland also submitted an EOI. However their names have been withheld for security reasons.

Defence: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the deadline date is for submission of the final tender solutions for the Prime Scotland and Northern Ireland Contract.

Andrew Robathan: The current estimated date for final tender submissions for the Scotland and Northern Ireland Regional prime contract is February 2013.

Departmental Consultants

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish his Department's guidance on employing external consultants.

Peter Luff: A copy of the Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s most recent guidance on employing external consultants—the Defence Instruction Implementing the Freeze on Consultancy Spend—Notice 2010DIN08-23 of July 2010 will be placed in the Library of the House. This updates the departmental guidance on consultancy assistance, a copy of which I will also place in the Library of the House.
	The current MOD practice on employing external consultants is in line with the guidance published by the Cabinet Office on 24 May 2010, as updated in September 2011 which is available at the following address:
	http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/guidanceonactionsandprocessesv2Oct2011

Departmental Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in his Department received a bonus in each year since 2007.

Andrew Robathan: A close and effective link between pay and performance is a key element of the reward arrangements for the civil service. The performance element of pay is colloquially known as a bonus, but it is a misleading description because the performance-related element of pay is not additional, it is part of the departmental pay bill.
	For senior civil servants (SCS) on standard contracts, performance incentives are paid primarily as non-consolidated performance payments. Any award is based on a judgment of how well an individual has performed against their peers and awards are made to those judged to have made the greatest in-year contribution to business objectives. There is no restriction on the nature of the contribution but it must benefit the Department or Defence more widely. Recommendations for awards are considered by moderation committees and must be linked to clear evidence of delivery.
	While all satisfactory performers at SCS level are eligible to be considered for a non-consolidated performance award, the percentage of staff who actually receive them is restricted by the Cabinet Office. Currently only the top 25% may earn one.
	Senior fixed term employees are individuals who are recruited through fair and open competition from outside the civil service. Those employed as senior fixed term appointees (FTAs) are on individual contracts and have a higher percentage of pay set to performance awards which are judged against stringent and stretching delivery-based objectives. Some have staged payments and it is now usual to pay a smaller annual performance award with the remainder deferred for two to three years and judged against the delivery of medium to longer term objectives. Performance is judged by line management with assistance from senior officials, stakeholders, remuneration committees and in some cases internal audit.
	Details of how many SCS received a non-consolidated performance award each year are shown in tables 1 and 2.
	
		
			 Table 1: SCS permanent staff 
			 Performance year Financial year Number of awards paid 
			 2010-11 2011-12 (1)— 
			 2009-10 2010-11 169 
			 2008-09 2009-10 195 
			 2007-08 2008-09 187 
			 2006-07 2007-08 186 
			 2005-06 2006-07 181 
			 (1) Please refer to transparency data at: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/aboutDefence/Corporatepublications/financialreports/salaries/nonconsolidatedperformanceawards.htm A copy of the information has been placed in the Library of the House. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2  : SCS   fixed term appointees 
			 SCS FTA   performance year Financial year Number of awards paid 
			 2010-11 2011-12 (1)— 
			 2009-10 2010-11 23 
			 2008-09 2009-10 27 
			 2007-08 2008-09 16 
			 2006-07 2007-08 10 
			 2005-06 2006-07 12 
			 (1) Please refer to transparency data at: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/aboutDefence/Corporatepublications/financialreports/salaries/nonconsolidatedperformanceawards.htm A copy of the information has been placed in the Library of the House. 
		
	
	For staff below the SCS, non-consolidated performance awards are paid to staff who meet the eligibility criteria. Higher levels of award are available for those who have contributed most to the business. These awards are distributed on the basis of relative assessment among peers and are designed to encourage continuous high attainment against stretching objectives.
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) also operates an in-year non-consolidated payment scheme, the special bonus scheme (SBS), which rewards eligible MOD civilians for exceptional performance in a specific task or for the achievement of a professional qualification the use of which benefits MOD and the individual. Separate arrangements apply to MOD police officers.
	The following table details the total number of payments made to staff below the SCS by way of non-consolidated performance payments and SBS awards by financial year.
	
		
			 Financial year Total number of awards made  (1) 
			 2006-07 55,339 
			 2007-08 61,878 
			 2008-09 71,940 
			 2009-10 66,585 
			 2010-11 65,603 
			 2011-12 (2)— 
			 (1) It is not possible to state how many individuals received awards since the data is held as number of awards made and not the number of recipients. (2) Please refer to transparency data at: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/aboutDefence/Corporatepublications/financialreports/salaries/nonconsolidatedperformanceawards.htm A copy of the information has been placed in the Library of the House. 
		
	
	This response excludes information on staff below the SCS in MOD Trading Funds which have separate pay delegations.

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what level of security vetting is required for (a) special advisers and (b) ministerial-appointed policy advisers in his Department; and if he will list each person who has held these posts since May 2010.

Andrew Robathan: Circumstances in which a post may require the holder to be the subject of national security vetting check are described in HMG Personnel Security Controls document which is available from the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/hmg-personnel-security-controls
	It would not be appropriate to confirm which specific posts within the Department are the subject of vetting, as this could highlight who within the Department has access to sensitive material and be used for targeting purposes.
	I refer the hon. Member to the quarterly publication of the list of special advisers which is available in the Library of the House and can also be accessed on the Cabinet Office Website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/special-adviser-data-releases
	There are no ministerial-appointed policy advisers in the Department.

Ex-servicemen: Finance

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funds are available to support community groups assisting former armed services personnel in England and Wales.

Andrew Robathan: The Community Covenant was launched across the UK in June 2011. It is a voluntary scheme designed to improve integration between the armed forces and civilian community at a local level. The armed forces community to which the scheme is designed to help includes service personnel, their families, the bereaved and veterans. To support this scheme the Ministry of Defence has set aside up to £30 million over the next four years to fund local projects, across the UK, which support this aim.
	Information regarding the Community Covenant and Community Covenant Grant Scheme is available on the Ministry of Defence website at:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Showcase/ProvidingForOurPeople.htm

France: Military Alliances

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential effect on UK-French defence cooperation of planned reductions to the French defence budget.

Philip Hammond: The potential for reductions in the French Defence budget is a matter for the French Government. It is clear, however, that France is as committed as the UK to strengthening Franco-British Defence co-operation and maintaining military capabilities against a background of constraints on public expenditure. It will therefore be in the interest of both nations actively to explore options for co-operation in both operational and equipment areas in accordance with the UK-France Defence Treaty.

Malaysia: Military Decorations

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence following the announcement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State on 26 October 2011, when he expects those who have been awarded the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal to be notified that they may wear it; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement that I made on 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 11WS.

Military Aid: Equipment

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military equipment has been gifted by the UK to overseas military and security forces in 2011 to date; to which country each was gifted; and what the estimated monetary value was in each case.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 21 October 2011
	Information on equipment gifted to overseas governments in 2011 by the Ministry of Defence is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Equipment Recipient Value (£) 
			 IT equipment Sierra Leone 3,970 
			 Military communication equipment United States 500 
		
	
	
		
			 Musical instruments and transport costs Sierra Leone 8,013 
			 Five expeditionary elevated Sangars (temporary fortified positions) Afghanistan 120,921 
			 Musical instruments and transport costs Iraq 5,546 
			 Trucks, trailers, and other equipment Belize 10,000 
			 Recreational and communication equipment, etc. Belize 2,000 
			 Personal protective equipment Afghanistan 9,567 
			 Ammunition supply point (nominal value as there was no sales potential) United States 1 
			 20 lightweight explosive ordnance disposal suits Lebanon 26,000 
			 Medical equipment, navigation aids, vehicle maintenance and recovery equipment, survivability related kit and transport costs Mauritania 119,500 
			 20 lightweight explosive ordnance disposal suits and transport costs Algeria 29,000 
			 Musical instruments Ethiopia 2,500 
		
	
	In addition, a gift to the Libyan Government of naval equipment worth £64,810 has been approved but not yet implemented.

Central America: Storms

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has given to those affected by the recent tropical depression in Central America.

Alan Duncan: DFID is monitoring the crisis closely. Essential humanitarian assistance is being provided by the Governments and national relief agencies of affected countries, supported by the international community including the UN and the International Federation of the Red Cross. UK assistance is being provided through the core contributions DFID makes each year to the UN's global emergency relief fund and to the international Red Cross movement.

Asylum

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum claims are outstanding; and from which countries the applicants in those cases came.

Damian Green: The number of asylum applications made since April 2006 pending an initial decision or further review, excluding dependants, as at 31 August 2011 was 10,810. Of these 10,810 asylum cases, 5,655 were pending an initial decision and 5,155 were pending further review. A copy of the table disaggregated by country of nationality will be placed in the Library of the House.
	Total figures for the number of asylum applications awaiting an initial decision or further review are published monthly in monthly asylum statistics. Further information on asylum is available from the immigration statistics release available in the Library of the House and the Home Office Science website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
	The UK Border Agency also publishes additional “work in progress caseload” figures annually which include cases that are subject to removal action, as part of the asylum performance framework measures. This is available from the UK Border Agency website at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/further-key-data/

Asylum: EU Countries

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many asylum seekers have been transferred to another EU member state under the Dublin Regulation in each year since the regulation came into effect; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many asylum seekers have been found to have (a) already applied for asylum in another EU member state or (b) illegally transited through the EU after referring their fingerprints to Eurodac, in each year since Eurodac was established to date; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Calendar year Number of applicants with positive Eurodac fingerprint matches with other member states  (1) Transfers to other member states under the Dublin Regulation  (2) 
			 2003 893 1,377 
			 2004 2,486 1,904 
			 2005 2,054 1,924 
			 2006 2,334 1,663 
			 2007 2,330 1,157 
			 2008 3,444 1,246 
			 2009 3,917 1,005 
			 2010 2,204 1,162 
			 2011 (to 31 October 2011 1,870 883 
			 Total 21,532 12,321 
			 (1) We are unable to breakdown the figures for Eurodac fingerprint matches between those who were asylum seekers in another member state and those that had illegally transited through Europe. (2 )This figure represents all transfers under the Dublin Regulation, as such it includes people who have not claimed asylum in the UK, however these applicants would have claimed asylum in another member state.

Departmental Manpower

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff moved to a different post in that agency in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Damian Green: It is not possible except at disproportionate cost to provide an account of post by post movement within the UK Border Agency.

Departmental Manpower

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff were based in each overseas country on 1 November 2011.

Damian Green: The number of UK Border Agency staff based in each overseas country is shown in the following table with the exception that details of small locations are not shown for data protection and security reasons.
	The information is not available at 1 November 2011 except at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 UK Border Agency work force based abroad by country Full-time equivalent work force at date shown  (1) 
			 UK Border Agency work force based abroad(1), excluding International Group below, 30 September 2011  
			 Belgium 30 
			 France 75 
			   
			 International Group work force abroad(2), 30 September 2011  
			 India 252 
			 United Arab Emirates 176 
			 Nigeria 146 
			 Pakistan 88 
			 China 88 
			 South Africa 72 
			 Philippines 59 
			 Unites States of America 57 
			 Russia 52 
			 Turkey 46 
			 Kenya 41 
			 Bangladesh 40 
			 Ghana 39 
			 Thailand 36 
			 China (Hong Kong) 30 
			 Italy 24 
			 Egypt 24 
			 France 23 
			 Iran 22 
			 Columbia 18 
			 Jamaica 18 
			 Jordan 18 
			 Ukraine 18 
			 Saudi Arabia 15 
			 Sri Lanka 14 
			 Spain 13 
			 Malaysia 13 
			 Poland 13 
			 Serbia 11 
			 Brazil 10 
			 Canada 9 
			 Indonesia 9 
			 Kuwait 9 
			 Albania 8 
		
	
	
		
			 Ireland 8 
			 Kasikistan 8 
			 Morocco 8 
			 Macedonia 7 
			 Qatar 7 
			 Sweden 7 
			 Ethiopia 6 
			 Australia 6 
			 Work force based in countries having 5 or fewer staff 143 
			 Total of International Group staff abroad, above 1,709 
			 Total of all UK Border Agency based abroad 1,814 
			 (1) Figure given is for work force based abroad and excludes staff who may work abroad but are based in the United Kingdom. (2 )The majority of the staff shown are locally engaged by Foreign and Commonwealth Office and are deployed on UK Border Agency work whose costs are invoiced to the UK Border Agency. The figures include UK based staff posted abroad. The figures do not include temporary workers. Note: It is UK Border Agency policy not to disclose staff figures which would identify blocks of staff below or equal to 5 as this could in some circumstances identify individuals.

Detention Centres: Children

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to her speech of 16 December 2010, what progress she has made on her proposal to end the detention of children for immigration purposes.

Damian Green: In December 2010 the Government published their plans for ending detention of children in a way which protects the welfare of children while ensuring that families with no right to remain in the country leave the UK.
	On 1 March 2011 the UK Border Agency rolled out a new family returns process to achieve this. This process gives families every opportunity to leave without the need for enforcement action and offers financial or practical assistance where appropriate.
	Where families choose not to co-operate, the UK Border Agency will take steps to ensure that they leave. In every case the Border Agency must submit a tailored family returns plan to a new independent Family Returns Panel comprising safeguarding and medical experts who advise on how the welfare of the children can best be safeguarded during the return.
	Return plans may include a strictly time-limited stay in new family-friendly pre-departure accommodation, Cedars, where Barnardo’s provide welfare and support services to help families prepare for their return. This is used as a last resort.
	Tinsley House immigration removal centre remains in use for families intercepted at the border who are being held while arrangements are made for their immediate return and, in rare cases, for criminal and other high risk families who cannot be safely accommodated in pre-departure accommodation.
	Details of the numbers of children held on this basis are published at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/child-detention-sep2011
	As set out on 16 December 2010, families may be held at ports for up to 24 hours to determine whether they should be admitted to the country or removed on a return flight.

Harassment: Victim Support Schemes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what services and support are routinely available to victims of stalking or harassment in England and Wales.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office is working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to provide appropriate support to victims of stalking. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 24 May 2011, Official Report, column 522W, in which I highlighted our victim support initiatives which included the appointment of dedicated single points of contact (SPOCs) in each police force area.
	On 8 March 2011 the Home Office published its action plan for tackling violence against women and girls for the spending review period which included seven actions to tackle stalking. As part of this we committed to continue to fund the National Stalking Helpline over the spending review period. We have worked with them to develop their business plan and supported their launch (in April 2010) of an online forum to provide support and advice for victims of stalking. We are also running a series of regional events to raise awareness of stalking and have invited the helpline to participate in four awareness-raising events we are running across the country.
	We also strongly supported the recent National Stalking Awareness Week (11-15 April 2010) jointly organised by the three main charities that work to prevent stalking: Protection Against Stalking, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and Network for Surviving Stalking.

Immigration

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration officers her Department employs overseas to screen passengers of inbound flights to the UK at airports (a) in and (b) outside the EU.

Damian Green: The number of Immigration Liaison Officers and Immigration Liaison Managers employed and who work overseas at airports screening passengers of inbound flights to the UK as at November 2011 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 EU countries 23 
			 Non-EU countries 89 
			 Total 112 
		
	
	These data are based on management information. They are provisional and subject to change.

Immigration: Romania

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the Migration Advisory Committee to report on the easing of restrictions on residents of Romania and Bulgaria entering the UK to work.

Damian Green: The committee published its report on 4 November. The report can be found on the UK Border Agency website at:
	www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/mac

Knives: Crime

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many knife crimes were reported in (a) Wallasey constituency, (b) the Wirral, (c) the North West region, (d) England and (e) the UK in (i) 2011 and (ii) each of the last five years.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 14 November 2011
	Data for selected offences involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument have been collected by the Home Office since April 2007 and are therefore only available over the past four years. Additionally, knife crime data are published on a financial year basis and not calendar year. From these data, it is not possible to identify which offences specifically involve the use of a knife.
	Data are collected at police force area level only, so data are not available for the Wallasey constituency or the Wirral. The collection of police recorded data for Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.
	In 2007-08, the selected offences included: attempted murder, grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, GBH without intent and robbery. The collection was expanded in 2008-09 to also include actual bodily harm (ABH), threats to kill, sexual assault and rape offences. Therefore figures are not comparable with those offences recorded in 2007-08.
	Until April 2010, West Midlands police had included unbroken bottle and glass offences in their returns. Since April 2010, they have excluded these offences in line with other police forces. As such, their 2010-11 data are not comparable with their data for earlier years and therefore data for England are provided including and excluding figures for West Midlands.
	Data for 2007-08 to 2010-11 are provided in table A.
	Data for homicides involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument are collected via the Homicide Index. Data for 2010-11 will be available at police force area level from January 2012. Data for 2005-06 to 2009-10 are provided in table B.
	
		
			 Table A: Number of selected violent and sexual offences  (1)   involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded by police forces in Merseyside, the North West, England and Wales, 2007-08 to 2010-11 
			 Area 2007-08  (2) 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Merseyside 757 892 798 587 
			 North West 3,629 4,998 4,163 3,681 
			 England(3) 24,110 34,806 32,568 31,524 
			 England (Excl. West Midlands)(4) 20,939 31,124 29,352 28,526 
			 Wales 899 928 765 733 
			 (1) Police recorded knife and sharp instrument offences data are submitted via an additional special collection. Other offences exist that are not shown in this table that may include the use of a knife or sharp instrument. (2) The collection was expanded in 2008-09 to also include actual bodily harm (ABH), threats to kill, sexual assault and rape offences. Therefore figures are not comparable with those offences recorded in 2007-08. (3) Figures for England include unbroken bottle and glass offences, which are outside the scope of this special collection, for Surrey and Sussex police. As such, data for these forces are not directly comparable to data for other forces. (4) Data are shown excluding West Midlands as West Midlands included unbroken bottle and glass offences in their returns until April 2010 but now exclude these offences in line with other forces. As such, their 2010-11 data are not comparable with their data for earlier years. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table B: Offences currently recorded  (1)   as homicide which involved the use of a knife or sharp instrument, police forces in Merseyside, the North West, England and Wales, 2005-06 to 2009-10 
			 Area 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Merseyside 10 10 9 11 8 
			 North West 29 32 42 42 30 
			 England 218 259 256 244 198 
			 Wales 7 11 11 11 11 
			 (1) As at 28 September 2010; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.

Electoral Register

Simon Kirby: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to improve the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register.

Mark Harper: The UK Government want the maximum possible number of people on the electoral register and are considering a number of ways to help improve registration in the context of the move to individual electoral registration. Government, politicians, political parties, electoral administrators and others in society all have a role to play in encouraging participation.
	We have learnt from the experience in Northern Ireland and are phasing in individual electoral registration over two years. We want it to be as easy as possible to register, while keeping the register more accurate and up to date. Under our proposed system, people will be invited to register in 2014 and will receive a number of reminders, this will include the use of doorstep visits.
	The Government are also funding research to understand the current state of the electoral register, and we will be carrying out further research to find the best ways to target and encourage the groups we know are currently under-registered to register to vote.

Electoral Register

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to improve the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register.

Mark Harper: The UK Government want the maximum possible number of people on the electoral register and are considering a number of ways to help improve registration in the context of the move to individual electoral registration.
	Government, politicians, political parties, electoral administrators and others in society all have a role to play in encouraging participation. We have learnt from the experience in Northern Ireland and are phasing in individual electoral registration over two years. We want it to be as easy as possible to register, while keeping the register more accurate and up to date. Under our proposed system, people will be invited to register in 2014 and will receive a number of reminders, this will include the use of doorstep visits.
	The Government are also funding research to understand the current state of the electoral register, and we will be carrying out further research to find the best ways to target and encourage the groups we know are currently under-registered to register to vote.

Devolution

Andrew George: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to take further steps in respect of devolution.

Nicholas Clegg: The Government are overseeing a fundamental shift of power away from Westminster to local councils, communities and individuals in England. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland we are committed to working constructively with the devolved administrations to make devolution a success.

Charities: Hospices

Gary Streeter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department has taken to reduce the burden of regulation on independent charitable hospices.

Nick Hurd: The review of the Charities Act 2006 announced by myself on 8 November 2011, and which will be led by Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts, will consider a broad range of issues, including the definition of charity and the role and status of the Charity Commission as the sector's regulator. It will also look at further reducing the burden of regulation whilst preserving safeguards that protect the public interest. ‘Unshackling Good Neighbours’, the report of the Civil Society Red Tape Taskforce, which was chaired by Lord Hodgson, made a number of recommendations that will help charities, for example simplifying the rules governing public charitable collections and reviewing the law regarding charitable permanent endowment, which I anticipate will be considered by the review.
	The other key regulator of charitable hospices is the Care Quality Commission which, under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, has a duty to ensure that any action it takes is proportionate to the risks against which it would afford safeguards and is targeted only where it is needed. The Care Quality Commission is currently consulting on proposals to simplify and strengthen its regulatory model of monitoring and inspecting providers of regulated activities.

Government Departments: Internet

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with Internet and social media service providers on modernising Government services in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: I have not had any specific discussions with internet or social media service providers about modernising Government services.
	However, since May 2010 I have had regular discussions with Martha Lane Fox, the UK Digital Champion, and informal discussions with the former chief executive of Amazon.co.uk.
	In addition, throughout this time I have attended a number of events with delegates from internet and social media providers, in order to progress and promote the Government's ‘Digital by Default’ strategy which will assist in modernising Government services.

Public Sector: Carbon Emissions

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department plans to offer assistance to the 2011 Carbon Disclosure Project in compiling its latest Public Procurement Report.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has no plans to offer assistance to the 2011 Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in compiling its latest Public Procurement Report.
	However, the Government Procurement Service will shortly be commencing an exercise to procure a supplier data verification tool. Presently, the scope of the tool is intended to include sustainability data relating to carbon waste and water, information assurance data, and supply chain assurance data relating to SMEs. Any company within the industry who has the capability of providing such a tool will be able to bid for the opportunity.
	CDP may well have an interest in bidding.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 737W, on voluntary work: young people, how much funding he has allocated to each National Citizen Service pilot that will operate in summer 2012; and how many places will be provided by each such pilot.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office is currently running a commissioning process for NCS places in 2012. The Cabinet Office will be in a position to confirm the funding and number of NCS places allocated to each provider in 2012 once the commissioning process has concluded.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 737W, on voluntary work: young people, how many young people participated in each National Citizen Service pilot in summer 2011.

Nick Hurd: National Citizen Service (NCS) pilot projects take place during the summer and we estimate that over 8,000 young people took part in NCS this summer. The independent evaluation of the first pilots is currently examining the number of participants on this summer's pilots and the numbers retained throughout the projects. The Cabinet Office will be in a position to provide those details once they are available later in the autumn.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2011, Official Report, column 370W, on voluntary work: young people, how many young people (a) registered an interest and (b) signed up to participate in the 2011 National Citizen Service pilots; and how many young people have (i) registered an interest and (ii) signed up to participate in such pilots in 2012.

Nick Hurd: National Citizen Service pilots were delivered in a range of locations across England in its first pilot year. Data provided to the Cabinet Office by National Citizen Service delivery partners indicated that at 17 June 2011 the following numbers of young people had registered their details in each region.
	
		
			 Region Number of young people registered 
			 North-east 6,922 
			 North-west 4,176 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 981 
			 West midlands 7,433 
			 East midlands 425 
			 East of England 1,188 
			 South-west 833 
			 London 9,396 
			 Total 32,284 
		
	
	The independent evaluation of the first pilots is currently examining the number of participants on this summer's pilots and the numbers retained throughout the projects. The Cabinet Office will be in a position to provide those details once they are available later in the autumn.
	The Cabinet Office is currently running a commissioning process for NCS places in 2012. The independent evaluation of the second pilot will examine the number of participants on the pilot and the numbers retained through the projects. The Cabinet Office will be in a position to provide these details later in 2012.

A14: Suffolk

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects all the information signs on the A14 in Suffolk to be brought into use.

Michael Penning: The A14 corridor traffic management scheme has installed 31 message signs within the county of Suffolk, 26 of which are available for use. Of the remaining five signs, two are programmed for commissioning to start on 24 November 2011. The remaining three signs are delayed due to wayleave disputes between Ipswich borough council and U.K Power Networks, which are preventing the provision of power supplies.

Aviation: Alcoholic Drinks

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the blood alcohol limit is for aviation pilots.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 14 November 2011
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Crawley (Henry Smith), on 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 186W.

Biofuels

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the safety of ethanol as an additive to fuel; and what assessment she has made of its effects on engines and engine components.

Norman Baker: Ethanol has a long history of use as a petrol fuel additive. Commercial grades of ethanol-petrol blends are reported to have been marketed in the UK from the 1920s to the 1960s. However it was not until 1988 that British Standards explicitly defined an upper limit (of 5%) on the ethanol content of petrol, in order to ensure compatibility of vehicle components and fuels. Any vehicles or products supplied for use in fuel systems since then should be compatible with this limit, 5% ethanol being the maximum that fuel suppliers currently use to meet their Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation targets (currently 4% rising to 5% in 2013-14). Pumps dispensing any petrol containing more than 5% ethanol are required by law to be labelled “Not suitable for all vehicles: consult vehicle manufacturer before use”.
	At some point in the future biofuel uptake targets in the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation will need to be increased to meet our EU obligations. However, in view of the fact that the evidence base on biofuels is still developing, the Government have taken the view that it would be premature to increase the targets beyond the 2013-14 target of 5% at present. Nevertheless, it is likely that 10% ethanol blends will be marketed in the future and so the Department commissioned research on the compatibility of different ethanol blends on fuel systems and the risks of carburettor icing. This research is published on the Department's website.
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/qinetiq-10-02471
	The Government will work with fuel suppliers and vehicle manufacturers to ensure information is available to motorists on which vehicles are compatible with 10% ethanol before it is introduced on a widespread basis.

Highways Agency: Manpower

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff the Highways Agency employs at (a) its London office and (b) each regional office.

Michael Penning: Details of the staff the Highways Agency employs in its London and regional offices are provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Office location Number of   s  taff 
			 Buckingham Palace Road, London 61 
			 Woodlands, Bedford 260 
			 Broadway, Birmingham 13 
			 The Cube, Birmingham 551 
			 Temple Quay House, Bristol 179 
			 Federated House, Dorking 207 
			 Ash House, Exeter 51 
			 Lateral, Leeds 271 
			 Piccadilly Gate, Manchester 210 
			 Quinton National Traffic Operations Centre 52 
			 South Mimms Regional Control Centre 129 
			 East Midlands Regional Control Centre 49 
		
	
	
		
			 Calder Park Regional Control Centre 64 
			 Newton-Le-Willows Regional Control Centre 123 
			 Godstone Regional Control Centre 66 
			 Avonmouth Regional Control Centre 46 
			 Quinton Regional Control Centre 76 
			 Total 2,408 
		
	
	The Highways Agency also have an additional 1,129 members of staff based at 33 outstations across the country.

Piracy: Brazil

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the threat to UK shipping from piracy off the coast of Brazil.

Michael Penning: The Department is fully involved with discussions at the International Maritime Organisation on piracy issues and supports international counter piracy activity. The International Maritime Bureau maintains figures on piracy attacks worldwide and although I am aware of incidents off the coast of Brazil this area has not been raised as a major concern for UK flagged vessels.

Public Transport: Olympic Games 2012

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps she plans to take to reduce disruption and delays to (a) bus and (b) train journeys in London during the London 2012 Olympic Games;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of potential delays to passenger journeys from Bromley into central London by (a) bus and (b) train during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Theresa Villiers: Many of London's transport services are being delivered by Transport for London (TfL), as the integrated transport authority for London. Other transport operators, such as Network Rail, and Train Operating Companies also have a key role in ensuring that spectators can get to their events on time.
	TfL is leading the work on demand reduction, initially through the travel advice to business programme which is engaging with business of all sizes to help them find ways of reducing their travel demand next summer. A further phase of this work, to engage with individual commuters and other travellers, is due to start in the new year.
	The Department for Transport will be leading Government's interests in the delivery of an effective transport system, which is a key part of hosting a successful Olympic Games.

Railways: Franchises

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will decline to sign the franchise agreement with Abellio for the Greater Anglia franchise pending clarification of reports that the company plans to reduce capacity on the Greater Anglia franchise.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), entered into the contract with Abellio on 1 November 2011. Abellio will provide the same level of service that will be operated by National Express East Anglia (NXEA) from December 2011. The introduction of the 168 train carriages across the Greater Anglia network during the NXEA franchise term has resulted in capacity being provided in excess of current demand. It is therefore possible to deliver the capacity requirements with a small reduction in carriages.
	I would draw the hon. Member’s attention to the service improvements that Abellio will be delivering during their franchise which are detailed in the press release I made on 20 October.

Road Traffic: Marble Arch

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions (a) she, (b) her Ministers and (c) officials in her Department have had on road traffic at the Marble Arch interchange with (i) representatives of foreign governments and (ii) Westminster city council; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 14 November 2011
	With the exception of 'trunk roads'; management of the road network in London has been devolved. Roads in London are therefore responsibility of the local highway authority, either Transport for London or the relevant London borough.
	In this instance, the Marble Arch interchange falls under the remit of Transport for London.

Rolling Stock: Manufacturing Industries

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2011, Official Report, column 1195W, on Crossrail hire: rolling stock, whether the discussions referred to in the answer included consideration of the desirability of supporting the UK's train manufacturing industry.

Theresa Villiers: Discussions on Crossrail rolling stock have included consideration that the publication of Invitation to Negotiate documentation for the Crossrail rolling stock and depot procurement be deferred, as a consequence of revisions to the project's approach to commissioning of the new trains. It is recognised by all parties that this deferral will also allow any relevant conclusions of the Government's review of public procurement to be taken into account in the tender process. As required by EU procurement rules, all bids will be judged on a fair and level playing field with all bidders treated equally.
	The Government's review of public procurement—part of the Government's growth review—is examining whether the UK is making best use of the application of EU procurement rules. The review will also consider the degree to which the Government can set out requirements and evaluation criteria with a sharper focus on the UK's strategic interest and how the Government can support businesses and ensure that when they compete for work they are doing it on an equal footing with their overseas competitors.

Harassment: Offenders

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has any plans to require individuals convicted under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 to participate in mental health treatment in England and Wales.

Crispin Blunt: There are no plans to specifically require individuals convicted under the Protection from Harassment Act to undergo mental health treatment. However, the courts have comprehensive powers under the Mental Health Act 1983 to assess any mentally disordered defendants during the trial process. This includes powers to divert offenders out of the criminal justice system, ordering their admission to a secure hospital by way of a hospital order.
	For those offenders who meet the threshold of a community order, courts may make use of a Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) as part of a community order to help treat mental health problems. In all cases, an MHTR can only be issued if the offender has been assessed by a senior medical practitioner and they have expressed their willingness to comply.
	We are currently taking provisions through the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill to remove the reliance upon the assessment of a senior medical practitioner to allow a wider range of medical practitioners to carry out the initial assessment which would help reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and delays in the court process.
	We are also working with the Department of Health and the Home Office to deliver the Government's commitment to roll out liaison and diversion services that identify mental health problems, and wider health needs, in police custody suites and at courts by 2014.

Stalking: Harassment

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether victim personal statements are routinely made available to probation staff completing court reports where the alleged perpetrator was involved in stalking or harassment related behaviour.

Crispin Blunt: Probation staff preparing pre sentence reports for courts will draw on all available sources of information to complete a full assessment of the offence and offending behaviour. An important element of the assessment is the impact and consequences of the offence(s) upon the victim, one source for which may be the victim personal statement. It is not possible to confirm that such statements are routinely available to probation staff as it is for the victim to decide whether to provide a victim personal statement.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which Minister in his Department is responsible for determining whether exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 should apply to responses to requests for information under the Act; and which other Minister is responsible for making such determinations should the subject matter of the request fall within the ministerial responsibilities of the Minister with lead responsibility.

Gregory Barker: It is DECC policy that departmental officials, in consultation with DECC lawyers where appropriate, would normally determine whether exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 should apply to responses to requests for information under the Act.
	However, the exemption under section 36 (prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs) can only apply if it is the reasonable opinion of a qualified person (QP) that the exemption applies. In relation to information held by Government, the qualified person must be a Minister or, if held by a non-ministerial department, the persons in charge of that department (for example, the chief executive).
	In DECC, all such decisions are referred to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), who will consult with the Minister responsible for the subject matter if he deems this necessary. Should the Secretary of State not be available within the timescales, this would be referred to the Duty Minister.

Emergencies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many full-time equivalent staff work on the energy workstream of the Capabilities Programme; and what the staffing level was in each of the last 10 quarters.

Charles Hendry: Many of the duties and functions of the Energy Resilience Team in the Energy Markets and Infrastructure Group contributes to the energy workstream of the Capabilities programme.
	However there are no full-time equivalents who work solely and specifically on the energy workstream.

Emergencies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change who the lead Minister in his Department is for the energy workstream of the Capabilities Programme.

Charles Hendry: I am the responsible Minister, as the energy workstream of the Capabilities programme falls within my responsibilities for Energy Resilience.

Emergencies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the budget was for the energy workstream of the Capabilities Programme in each year since 2005; and what the budget will be during the comprehensive spending review period.

Charles Hendry: Work on the energy workstream of the Capabilities Programme has been carried out within budgetary provision for the Energy Resilience Team part of the Energy Markets and Infrastructure Group. The workstream does not have a specific budgetary allocation.
	Prior to the creation of DECC, the work was funded by the budget for the equivalent teams in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and, before that, the Department of Trade and Industry.

Energy: Mobile Homes

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent steps his Department has taken to assist people living in mobile homes with their fuel bills; and whether he has considered extending the warm homes discount scheme to them.

Gregory Barker: The coalition Government are committed to helping people, especially low income vulnerable households, to heat their homes more affordably.
	Park Home occupiers, eligible for Warm Front assistance, can benefit from draught proofing and the installation or repair of heating systems. The measures will help them heat their homes more efficiently and where possible this may also lead to lower fuel bills. The winter fuel payments and cold weather payments provide additional assistance towards heating bills during the winter months.
	The consultation for the proposed Warm Home Discount Scheme did consider the issue of whether to extend eligibility to energy suppliers' customers who do not pay their electricity bill directly, eg who pay it through their rent on a caravan park or park home.
	However, due to the administrative complexity of identifying and verifying these individual circumstances, ensuring the benefit of the rebate was made available to the customer and identifying a means of making a payment, it was decided not to include these individuals in the scheme.

Energy: Prices

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the effect on the average household's gas and electricity bills in 2020 of his Department's policy decisions since May 2010.

Charles Hendry: In July 2010, DECC published analysis on the estimated impact of energy and climate change policies on the average household and medium-sized business user's energy bill, available online at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/media/viewfile.ashx?filetype=4&filepath=What%we%20do/UK%20energy%20supply/236-impacts-energy-climate-change-policies.pdf&minwidth-true
	Since July 2010, the coalition Government has made a number of policy announcements which mean that the impact of energy and climate change policies on the average household and medium-sized business user's energy bill is expected to be lower. These announcements include proposals on electricity market reform and the Green Deal, the introduction of the carbon price floor, consultations on new cost-effective levels of support for large-scale renewable electricity and lower tariffs and energy efficiency eligibility requirement for solar PV under the feed-in tariff scheme, the decisions to fund the renewable heat incentive from general taxation rather than through a levy on fossil fuel suppliers and the decision to consider several alternative funding options for the Government's CCS commitments rather than through their own levy.
	Updated energy bill estimates accounting for all these announcements and proposed changes will be published alongside the forthcoming Annual Energy Statement later this year.

Energy: Prices

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate how much (a) an average household and (b) all consumers will save in the cost of energy bills as a result of his policy decisions on (i) feed-in tariffs for large-scale solar installations, (ii) feed-in tariffs for small-scale solar installations, (iii) the renewable heat incentive, (iv) carbon capture and storage and (v) other energy and climate change policies up to 2020.

Charles Hendry: On 31 October 2011, DECC published a consultation on the Government's proposals for lower tariffs and energy efficiency eligibility requirements for solar PV under the feed-in tariff scheme. The accompanying impact assessment, available online at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/fits-comp-review-p1/3416-fits-IA-solar-pv-draft.pdf
	presents the estimated impact on all consumers and the average household electricity bill to 2020 of these proposals.
	In July 2010, DECC published analysis on the estimated impact of energy and climate change policies on the average household and medium-sized business user's energy bill, available online at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/media/viewfile.ashx?filetype=4&filepath=What%20we%20do/UK%20energy%20supply/236-impacts-energy-climate-change-policies.pdf&minwidth=true
	Since July 2010, the coalition Government has made a number of policy announcements which mean that the impact of energy and climate change policies on the average household and medium-sized business user's energy bill is expected to be lower. These announcements include proposals on electricity market reform and the Green Deal, the introduction of the carbon price floor, consultations on new cost-effective levels of support for large-scale renewable electricity and lower tariffs and energy efficiency eligibility requirement for solar PV under the feed-in tariff scheme, the decisions to fund the renewable heat incentive from general taxation rather than through a levy on fossil fuel suppliers and the decision to consider several alternative funding options for the Government's CCS commitments rather than through their own levy.
	Updated energy bill estimates accounting for all these announcements and proposed changes will be published alongside the forthcoming Annual Energy Statement later this year.

European Union

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Ministerial-level meetings have been held in his Department during the Government's examination of the balance of existing European Union competences.

Charles Hendry: There have been no such ministerial level meetings within the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Liquefied Gas

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to regulate the supply of liquid gas; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 370W, to the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane).
	The OFT noted in its report of the Off-Grid Energy Market study, that there has been a generally positive initial impact of the Competition Commission Orders from 2009. The Orders make it easier for consumers of domestic bulk liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to switch supplier. The OFT will continue to monitor this area and is also engaging with suppliers on consumer protection issues.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the risks posed by construction on new nuclear power stations; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: To provide an assessment of the risks posed by construction of new nuclear power stations my department commissioned “Engineering the Future to produce the Nuclear Lessons Learned” report which is available at:
	http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/publications/list/reports/Nuclear_Lessons_Learned_Oct10.pdf
	We will continue to work closely with developers to satisfy ourselves they have processes in place to capture and transfer knowledge gained from projects to benefit the UK new build programme.

Radioactive Waste: Sweden

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what contractual commitments exist for the repatriation to the UK of radioactive contamination removed from the contaminated metals sent by Studsvik UK Ltd at Lillyall, Cumbria to Studsvik Sweden for decontamination since September 2009; and whether permission was required from the Environment Agency for such shipments.

Charles Hendry: All shipments of radioactive waste consigned from the UK to Sweden, since September 2009, are subject to a binding 'Waste Return Guarantee' on the part of Studsvik UK Ltd; under the Transfrontier Shipment of Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Regulations 2008.
	Permission for Studsvik UK Ltd in Cumbria to send radioactive waste to Studsvik Sweden for decontamination was granted by the Environment Agency, as the competent authority for transfrontier waste shipments, in July 2009, under a registration which remains effective through to 7 July 2012.
	Under the covering letter of Studsvik's application to the Environment Agency a guarantee is provided to return the waste residues to the UK.

Renewable Energy

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the (a) turnover, (b) level of employment and (c) level of exports attributable to the renewable energy sector in each year to 2020.

Charles Hendry: Renewable energy development offers huge potential for UK economic growth. We estimate that around £100 billion investment will be needed over this decade to meet the UK's renewables ambitions alone for 2020. The UK Renewable Energy Roadmap(1) published in July sets out the measures the Government are taking to maximise the opportunities for British companies and new investment in the renewable energy sector. The Government are committed to ensuring that cost-effective generation comes forward so that costs to energy consumers are minimised.
	We do not break down the growth potential into the headings and timings the hon. Member has listed. But he will be interested to know that in the first half of this financial year alone investments valued up to £1.7 billion have been announced in the UK renewables sector, and the manufacturing and other industries that supply it, creating nearly 10,000 temporary and permanent jobs if all of these plans are delivered. This is not a definitive list of the renewables market activity for this period, but indicates the continuing realisation of growth and investment opportunities in the sector.
	(1) ( )http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/renewable _ener/re_roadmap/re_roadmap.aspx

Renewable Energy: Employment

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of full-time equivalent jobs in the (a) solar photovoltaic, (b) wind and (c) wave and tidal industries in (i) 2009 and (ii) November 2011.

Gregory Barker: We estimate that, based on the number of (a) solar photovoltaic (PV) installations by the end of October 2011, around 8,000 to 14,000 gross full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs have been supported by solar PV since the introduction of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme. However, the total number of people doing some form of work related to solar PV is likely to be higher than this range because those who are involved in solar PV installations are also likely to undertake other tasks other than solely installing solar PV. We do not have similar estimates for solar PV in 2009.
	Estimates by K-Matrix (2011) for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills(1) show around 550 jobs in wave and tidal technologies and around 90,000 in wind energy. These estimates include the supply chain. K-Matrix's bottom-up methodology reveals more low carbon and environmental activity than SIC coding, and other previous estimates. It therefore risks double counting companies who produce goods or services for more than one environmental market. K-Matrix compare their numbers to validated and verified data sources to mitigate this risk.
	In addition, we are aware of a number of assessments by external bodies on the future employment potential of the renewable energy sector, including:
	Onshore wind
	RenewableUK estimates in ‘Working for a Green Britain Vol 2: Future employment and skills in the UK wind and marine industries’ that under a medium scenario, there could be around 10,300 direct and 6,100 indirect jobs in the onshore wind sector in 2021.
	Offshore wind
	The Carbon Trust estimates that the offshore wind sector could employ up to 66,000 people in the UK by 2020 with a possibility of up to 230,000 by 2050.
	Wave and tidal technologies
	The Carbon Trust's ‘Focus For Success’ report estimates that the wave sector alone could create around 16,000 direct jobs by 2040, with 25% supporting UK exports.
	Given these and other independent reports, I have no plans to commission further evidence but will keep this under review. The Government fully recognise the employment opportunities that the growth of renewable energy can create.
	(1) K Matrix, 2011, ‘Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services Report 2009/10’, available at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/business-sectors/low-carbon-business-opportunities/market-intelligence/market-data

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate his Department has made of the level of growth in the solar industry in (a) the last 15 years and (b) since the introduction of feed-in-tariffs.

Charles Hendry: DECC does not keep long-term records of employment levels in the solar PV sector.
	We estimate that, based on the number of solar photovoltaic installations by the end of October 2011, around 8,000 to 14,000 gross full-time equivalent jobs have been supported by solar PV since the introduction of the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme. The total number of people doing some solar PV work is likely to be higher than this range because those who are involved in solar PV installations are also likely to undertake other tasks linked to their employment.
	An impact assessment has been published to support the consultation on FITs for solar PV. This includes an assessment of the economic impacts of the consultation proposals, including the impact on jobs. The impact assessment is available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/fits-comp-review-p1/3416-fits-IA-solar-pv-draft.pdf

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the proportion of solar panels installed on domestic houses that were manufactured in (a) China and (b) the UK in each of the last three years.

Gregory Barker: This information is not held by the Department.

Tidal Power

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to support the DeltaStream tidal demonstration project.

Gregory Barker: The Government have recently increased their support to the wave and tidal energy sector. First through this Department's investment of up to £20 million for the demonstration of arrays of wave and tidal devices, subject to a value for money assessment. And most recently through the renewables obligation consultation, which proposes increasing the revenue support for wave and tidal technologies to 5 ROCs/MWh (renewable obligation certificates per megawatt hour). This proposed level of support will help stimulate further investment into the marine energy sector.
	Earlier this year, I established a new UK Marine Energy programme, which allows us to work with the sector to remove barriers to development and to bring forward a programme of policies across Government, led by DECC, to enable the sector to move to commercial deployment over the coming five years.
	I want to raise the ambition for marine energy in the UK and hope that these measures will catalyse the industry, including the DeltaStream tidal demonstration project.

Apprentices: Tees Valley

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the change in the number of people undertaking apprenticeships in (a) Redcar constituency and (b) the Tees Valley since May 2010.

John Hayes: holding answer 14 November 2011
	There has been a substantial growth in the number of people undertaking apprenticeships both nationally and in the Redcar constituency and Tees Valley since May 2010. This is very encouraging and shows employers are continuing to use apprenticeships as a means of developing the skills they need for their businesses.
	Table 1 shows the number of Apprenticeship programme starts in (a) Redcar constituency and (b) Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees local authorities which comprise the Tees Valley sub region, between May 2010 (2009/10 academic year based on final year data) and July 2011 (2010/11 academic year based on provisional data), the latest period for which data is available.
	Table 2 shows the number of apprenticeship starts in (a) Redcar constituency and (b) Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees local authorities which comprise the Tees Valley sub region in 2008/09 and 2009/10, the latest years for which final data is available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts in Redcar   c  onstituency and the Tees Valley, May 2010 to July 2011 (Provisional) 
			  2009/10 2010/11 Total 
			  Quarter 4 May 2010 to July 2010 (Final) Full year August 2010 to July 2011 (Provisional) May 2010 to July 2011 (Provisional) 
			 Redcar constituency 170 1,260 1,420 
			 Darlington local authority 160 1,430 1,590 
			 Hartlepool local authority 100 1,080 1,180 
			 Middlesbrough local authority 220 1,710 1,930 
			 Redcar and Cleveland local authority 240 1,840 2,080 
			 Stockton-on-Tees local authority 290 2,240 2,540 
			 Tees Valley 1,020 8,300 9,320 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Apprenticeship programme starts in Redcar constituency and the Tees Valley, 2008/09 to 2009/10 (Provisional) 
			  2008/09 (Final) 2009/10 (Final) 
			 Redcar constituency 640 660 
			 Darlington local authority 680 690 
			 Hartlepool local authority 750 670 
			 Middlesbrough local authority 1,070 1,020 
			 Redcar and Cleveland local authority 940 970 
			 Stockton-on-Tees local authority 1,260 1,270 
			 Tees Valley 4,710 4,620 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. Geographic information is based upon home postcode of the learner. 3. Tees Valley sub region is comprised of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees local authorities. Figures for Tees Valley sub region are based on the sum of unrounded data for these local authorities. 4. Provisional estimates for 2010/11 can not be compared with final figures for earlier years. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 27 October 2011:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Arms Trade: Bahrain

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of UK arms exports to Bahrain; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Following reports of human rights abuses in Bahrain earlier this year all extant strategic export licences were reviewed and as a result a total of 41 Standard Individual export licences (SIELs) and Open Individual export licences (OlELs) were revoked.
	This Government takes their arms export responsibilities extremely seriously and operates some of the most rigorous export controls in the world.
	All export licences are considered on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria taking account of all prevailing circumstances at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued where to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria or other relevant announced commitments. In particular Criterion Two concerns the 'respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination' and states that the Government will not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression.
	As events change, the risk assessment also has to change. This was the case with a number of licences issued to Bahrain. Export licences have been revoked where they are now, as a result of the situation that emerged in the region, assessed to be inconsistent with the Criteria.

Departmental Procurement

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Transport and (b) Minister for the Cabinet Office on the letting of government contracts to companies based (i) in the UK and (ii) overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) have discussed the matter and also jointly wrote to the Prime Minister to highlight the issue of public procurement and how we should manage the process in the public sector to sustain a competitive supply base that meets the UK's strategic needs within EU procurement rules. The Government are now looking at this area in the current phase of the growth review. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills, met with the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) to review progress on this work on 26 October 2011. The procurement work continues within Government.

Green Investment Bank

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what internal approval criteria will be used to assess the value for money of Government financial interventions in the Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: All Government interventions must be compatible with state aid law and all products will be tested for value for money, green impact and additionality. The Green investment Bank (GIB) will operate to a double bottom line of achieving environmental impact and making positive financial returns. Detailed value for money criteria are currently being developed.

Training

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support the domestic (a) train manufacturing industry and its supply chain and (b) onshore engineering skills.

Mark Prisk: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), have asked their officials to work together with the sector and key delivery partners, such as UK Trade & Investment, to support the train manufacturing sector and the wider rail supply chain in securing more sustainable UK jobs through clearly identified business opportunities such as the Intercity Express Programme, Thameslink, Crossrail and High Speed 2.
	The Technology Strategy Board recently announced a £4 million Accelerating Innovation in Rail funding competition to support the development of technologies that are able to address the challenges facing the rail industry, as well as meeting customer requirements in both UK and international rail markets. It marks the start of a long-term strategic partnership between the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and the Technology Strategy Board.
	Additionally the Department's Solution's for Business offers a range of publically-funded products and services designed to help businesses to overcome key challenges and UK Trade & Investment explore export opportunities.
	Furthermore, on 14 October, we also announced details of the new £57 million contract to deliver the Manufacturing Advisory Service which works with manufacturers to identify and implement productivity and innovation improvements to improve their competitiveness. It will be a national service locally delivered and tailored to meet the needs of individual businesses and local economic circumstances. The new service will focus on helping small and medium enterprise (SME) manufacturers in England to develop advanced manufacturing capabilities and could help create an estimated £1.5 billion in economic growth, 23,000 jobs and safeguard 50,000 over three years. It will start in January 2012.
	In order to boost technical and vocational skills for the engineering sector at all levels we are (i) doubling to 24 the number of university technical colleges we will establish by 2014; (ii) investing an extra £180 million to deliver at least 250,000 more apprenticeships over the next four years than the previous Government planned; and (iii) encouraging the development of new degree-equivalent higher level apprenticeships, which will include recognised engineering status.

Venture Capital

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage angel investors.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	Business angels are becoming an increasingly important source of start-up and early stage venture capital for businesses with high growth potential, particularly for businesses wishing to raise funding up to £250,000.
	Government are supporting the development of a new £50 million Business Angel Co-investment Fund as part of a successful bid to the Regional Growth Fund. The fund will be available to invest, alongside Business Angel networks or syndicates, into eligible small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and is due to launch by the end of the year.
	Tax incentives, including the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs), support business angel investment. Changes in March's Budget were announced to the rules relating to EIS and VCTs, further encouraging individual investors. HM Treasury has just completed a consultation on changes to EIS and VCTs including a proposal to provide additional help for early stage companies, investments that Business Angels often undertake.
	Government also continue to support the early stage market through Enterprise Capital Funds which can include angel finance as part of the private investment leverage generated in these funds.

Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of climate change on expenditure under the NHS.

Simon Burns: The Department has not made any specific cost assessments related to health services on the impact of climate change ahead of the outcomes from the climate change risk assessment (CCRA). The CCRA will provide a collaborative assessment across Government and help to prioritise areas of concern for consideration.
	Departmental officials have been working closely with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in their programme to develop a National CCRA. The conclusion to the first assessment will be laid before Parliament in early 2012 by DEFRA and will lead to the development of a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) in 2013.
	Within individual and independent CCRA sector reports, of which Health is one and which will be made available alongside the CCRA, a monetary assessment has been made to inform the economic efficiency of decision making.
	The national health service is a category one or category two responder under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004). Under these arrangements it is well placed to deal with the outcome of adverse weather events both in operational terms and in health care delivery. Climate change adaptation assessment and measures needed are the responsibility of individual health trusts.
	Through the changes that are being proposed in the Health and Social Care Bill (2011) more closer working relationships will be established at local government and public health level to address the impacts of climate change.

Cancer

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the findings in respect of cancer survival rates in the recent paper by Professor Colin Pritchard and Dr Tamas Hickish; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: “Comparing cancer mortality and GDP health expenditure in England and Wales with other major developed countries from 1979 to 2006”, published in the British Journal of Cancer (BJC), reported that mortality rates from cancer rates in England and Wales fell significantly between 1979 and 2006, a time during which the national health service spent proportionally less on health care than other countries included in the study.
	We know that England has a good track record on reducing cancer mortality, especially in men under 75. This is largely related to falls in smoking prevalence in the previous two decades and has little to do with levels of NHS expenditure. However, looking at cancer mortality rates does not provide a good way of assessing NHS performance as it is an indicator of both incidence and of survival. Survival rates are a much more effective way of assessing NHS performance as they show how good the NHS is, compared with other countries, in diagnosing and treating people with cancer.
	In terms of cancer survival rates, we know that we are lagging behind other countries. In “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer” we have set out the ambition to be as good as the European average and save an additional 5,000 lives per year by 2014-15.
	A copy of the BJC paper has been placed in the Library.

Care Homes

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total number of care home places was in each local authority area in each of the last 15 years.

Paul Burstow: Information on the numbers of care and nursing homes and places has been collected by several organisations during the period from 1996 to the present day.
	Until 2002, residential care homes were registered by individual local authorities and nursing homes were registered by local health authorities. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care holds registration data collected from these organisations for the period until 2001.
	The Information Centre has provided information on numbers of care and nursing homes and places, broken down by local authority and health authority areas for the years ending 31 March 1997 to 2001. This has been placed in the Library.
	From 2002, care and nursing homes were registered by the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC), the first national regulator of adult social care services. The NCSC was replaced in 2004 by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), which was replaced in 2009 by the present regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
	We are informed by CQC that it can provide data on numbers of care homes and places for the period from 2004; when the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) was established as the regulator of adult social care. CQC has access to statistical data collected by CSCI. However, CQC cannot provide data for the years 2002-04, when homes were registered by the NCSC, as it is unable to confirm its accuracy.
	CQC has provided information, showing numbers of care and nursing homes and places by local authority area for the period 31 March 2004 to 31 October 2011. This has been placed in the Library.

Care Homes

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people in nursing homes in (a) Kent and (b) England in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11.

Paul Burstow: Data on the number of adults—aged 18 and over—whose care is funded either partially or wholly by councils with adult social services responsibilities (CASSRs) is collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
	Information on the numbers of care and nursing home residents who fund their own care is not collected centrally.
	The following table shows the number of people aged 18 and over who were in nursing homes in Kent and England as at 31 March 2009 and 31 March 2010, whose care was funded partially or wholly by CASSRs. Provisional data for the year ending 31 March 2011 are due to be published on 30 November 2011.
	
		
			 Number of adults—aged 18 and over—in nursing homes as at 31 March 
			  2009 2010 
			 Kent 1,515 1,490 
			 England 60,775 58,805 
			 Note: Figures for Kent and England rounded to the nearest five. Source: Adult Social Care-Combined Activity Return (ASC-CAR)

Care Homes

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people in nursing homes in (a) Redditch and (b) England in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11.

Paul Burstow: Data on the number of adults—aged 18 and over—whose care is funded either partially or wholly by councils with adult social services responsibilities (CASSRs) is collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care. The Information Centre does not collect data on numbers of care and nursing home residents in Redditch. Data are collected for Worcestershire, which includes Redditch.
	Information on the numbers of care and nursing home residents who fund their own care is not collected centrally.
	The table shows the number of people aged 18 and over who were in nursing homes in Worcestershire and England as at 31 March 2009 and 31 March 2010, whose care was funded partially or wholly by CASSRs. Provisional data for the year ending 31 March 2011 is due to be published on 30 November 2011.
	
		
			 Number of adults—aged 18 and over—in nursing homes as at 31 March 
			  2009 2010 
			 Worcestershire 860 790 
			 England 60,775 58,805 
			 Note:  Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. Source:  Adult Social Care—Combined Activity Return (ASC-CAR).

Disability: Children

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisation will be responsible for designing care pathways and shaping local services for disabled children.

Anne Milton: Subject to passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, clinical commissioning groups will be responsible for commissioning services for children and young people with a disability or complex needs. They will work in partnership with the Health and Wellbeing Boards that will be a forum for local commissioners across the NHS, local government, elected representatives, and representatives of HealthWatch to agree how to improve the health and wellbeing of the people in their area including children and young people. We expect that, the National Commissioning Board (NHSCB) will have responsibility for the direct commissioning of a number of services from April 2013. Included within those services will be services for people with rare conditions which are currently commissioned at both a national and regional level as described in the Specialised National Definitions Set.
	We have proposed that when commissioning children's services, both the NHSCB and Clinical Commissioning Groups will also seek advice from paediatricians, nurses and other clinical professionals with expertise across a range of areas. There will be senior clinical leadership for children's services within the NHS Commissioning Board providing advice and support to commissioners.
	Also the special educational needs and disability pathfinders, set up to test some of the proposals set out in the Green Paper “Support and Aspiration—A new approach to SEN” will have a key role to play in shaping and improving services for children and young people with a disability.

Disability: Children

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to improve health services for disabled children.

Anne Milton: The Government are committed to improving the lives of children and young people who are disabled and providing more support for their families and carers. This is reflected in this year’s operating framework, where we identify disabled children as a specific group that the national health service should pay particular attention to.
	Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, the NHS and public health reforms also provide a significant opportunity for improving the range and quality of services available to children and young people with disabilities and complex needs. The role of health and well-being boards will be to examine the health needs of their local population and to design a joint health and well-being strategy to meet those needs. Clinical commissioning groups and local authorities’ commissioning plans will be informed by the local joint health and well-being strategy—including services for children with disabilities. The local services will be judged against the health outcomes and many of the indicators within the NHS and public health outcomes frameworks, either directly or indirectly require improvements in services for children and young people.
	The Department of Health also worked closely with the Department for Education in the development of the Government’s Green Paper “Support and Aspiration—A new approach to SEN” published in March 2011.
	As announced in the Green Paper, 20 pathfinders covering 31 local authorities and primary care trust clusters have been appointed to test the ambition of the proposals. This will include testing various elements to improve the current system including a new single assessment process with a single education, health and care plan along with the option of a personal budget. The pilots will run initially for 18 months.

Health Services: Overseas Visitors

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many visitors to the UK had more than one unpaid debt to the NHS of £1,000 or more in each of the five years preceding the changes in regulations that came into force on 31 October 2011.

Anne Milton: The Department does not hold this information. However, as part of the evaluation of a policy to amend the immigration rules to allow an outstanding debt to the national health service to be reason to refuse a new visa or extension of stay to a person subject to immigration control, the Department estimated that around 3,600 people each year incur unpaid debts to the NHS of £1,000 or more.
	We are developing processes to ensure these data are available to the UK Border Agency to deliver this commitment.

Health Services: Overseas Visitors

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much, owed by foreign nationals for NHS treatment, was (a) recovered and (b) unrecovered in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what arrangements are in place to recover money owed by foreign nationals for NHS treatment;
	(3)  whether he intends to bring forward proposals to change the system of recovering money owed by foreign nationals for NHS treatment.

Anne Milton: Entitlement to free national health service hospital treatment is based on ordinary residence in the United Kingdom or exemption from charges under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2011. These regulations place a duty on NHS bodies providing treatment to charge those overseas visitors who are not exempt and recover the charge from them. Many use debt collection agencies to aid this process.
	As of 31 October 2011, an outstanding debt to the NHS of £1,000 or more is reason for immigration officers normally to refuse a new visa or extension of stay to a person subject to immigration control. The Department is now finalising guidance to the NHS on how to share information with the UK Border Agency to facilitate this. Further, the Department is currently reviewing access to the NHS by overseas visitors, including how to establish more effective processes across the NHS to recover charges.
	The following table shows the total audited income from overseas visitors under non-reciprocal arrangements and total audited losses, bad debt and claims abandoned for overseas visitors for each of the last five years, for England. As well as foreign nationals who are not ordinarily resident in the UK, these data include UK nationals who are not ordinarily resident here. The data do not include monies owed that hospitals are still in the process of attempting to recover.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Income from overseas visitors under non-reciprocal arrangements Bad debts and claims abandoned in respect of overseas patients 
			 2006-07 15,182,925 5,046,763 
			 2007-08 18,167,000 6,468,751 
			 2008-09 17,541,000 5,204,856 
			 2009-10 17,127,000 6,967,780 
			 2010-11 23,333,000 6,773,733 
			 Note: We do not collect data from NHS foundation trusts so figures exclude these sites. Source: NHS Trust Audited Summarisation Schedules.

Heart Diseases: Ethnic Groups

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to increase patient take-up of cardiac rehabilitation among (a) women and (b) black, Asian and minority ethnic groups.

Simon Burns: The National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation Annual Statistical Report 2011 suggests that there may be little difference in the take up of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) between different ethnic groups although women may be under represented in these programmes.
	Several steps are being taken to improve the provision and take up of CR services for all eligible patients. Among the resources available to help commission cardiac rehabilitation services are the Department's Commissioning Pack for Cardiac Rehabilitation and the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence's Guide for Commissioners on Cardiac Rehabilitation Services. These, alongside the National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation funded through the British Heart Foundation, and the NHS improvement work to support implementation of the commissioning pack, will help ensure that commissioners have the information they need to take account of the specific needs of all patients eligible for cardiac rehabilitation in their commissioning decisions.

James Paget Hospital: Sick Leave

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days NHS staff at the James Paget University hospital have taken in sick leave in each year since 2006.

Simon Burns: Information on the sickness absence for national health service staff at the James Paget University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, April 2009 to June 2011 is in the following table:
	
		
			 Sickness absence at the James Paget University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 
			 Period Absence (days) 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 37,730 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 34,295 
			 April 2011 to June 2011 8,365 
			 Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.  2. Figures are for national health service staff only and do not include bank staff or locums.  3. While a low number of recorded sickness absence days generally represents a low level of sickness absence it can also represent under reporting.  4. The NHS Information Centre did not publish sickness absence data prior to April 2009. Source:  NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care—Processed using data taken from the Electronic Staff Record Data Warehouse

Medicine: Prices

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what stakeholder involvement there will be in establishing the weightings for disease severity, level of unmet need and innovation to be used in any future value-based pricing scheme for medicines;
	(2)  what progress he has made in developing a value-based pricing system for medicines; and what steps he is taking to ensure a system is in place from 2014.

Simon Burns: The Government's response to their consultation on a new value based pricing system for branded medicines was published on 18 July. In it, we set out our intention that value based pricing will apply to new active substances placed on the market from 1 January 2014, however, the vast majority of branded medicines already on the market before 2014 will be considered by the successor arrangements to the current Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme.
	As we take forward our work in this area, we intend to collaborate with external experts and stakeholders, to ensure that the value based pricing system is clear, robust and transparent, and that industry, patients, clinicians and all others who have an interest can understand how valuations are made in the new system.

Mental Health

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to support the development of step down and community services for people requiring discharge from secure mental health services;
	(2)  if he will assess the recommendations in the Centre for Mental Health's report on unlocking pathways to secure mental health care;
	(3)  plans to divide commissioning responsibilities for (a) medium and low secure mental health services and (b) step-down and community forensic mental health services between the National Commissioning Board and clinical commissioning groups.

Paul Burstow: “Pathways to unlocking secure mental health care” published by the Centre for Mental Health in April 2011 makes 12 recommendations for the national health service to improve quality, innovation, productivity and prevention within secure mental health services. The report recognises that the NHS is already actively working to address several of the recommendations.
	Secure mental health services are currently being commissioned as a specialised service by the four clusters of specialised commissioning groups in England. This means that standardised specifications, quality standards, quality payments and prices are being developed for secure mental health services, which will put in place the consistent framework the report calls for.
	Some of the specialised commissioning groups are already changing the balance of investment and reinvesting in step down facilities, for example in the north west and south west there are good examples of reinvestment in step down facilities to enable the whole system to operate more effectively.
	The Department of Health and the National Offender Management Service have consulted and published a response on a pathway approach for offenders with personality disorder and commissioners are already changing the balance of investment in these services to enable earlier identification, progression and support in the community when appropriate for increased numbers of offenders. Commissioning for outcomes and involvement of service users is being embedded in every stage of the pathway.
	Although plans for the future commissioning of secure mental health services are still in development, it is probable that they will be commissioned by the NHS Commissioning Board and continue to be commissioned as a ‘specialised’ service.
	Forensic Payment by Results is also under development. Commissioning as a specialised service will allow the NHS to focus on outcomes, pathways and quality.
	Current work on ‘integrated care’, or pathways, has looked specifically at barriers to ensuring that the patients receive the right care at the right time and that the new commissioning architecture does not put any new barriers in the way. This work has focused specifically on pathways into and out of specialised mental health services, which includes secure services.

Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust: Complaints

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the system for complaints in Morecambe Bay NHS Trust.

Simon Burns: National health service organisations are responsible for managing local NHS complaints. Under the NHS Complaints Procedure, all NHS organisations must have in place a complaints procedure. The ‘NHS Constitution: the NHS belongs to us all’ (March 2010) also sets out the rights of patients who wish to complain about the NHS.
	However, the Department plans to review the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 in 2014, in response to the House of Commons Health Select Committee report into Complaints and Litigation published in June 2011.

NHS

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the level of consideration that should be given to patient access, including access by public transport, in any review of NHS service provision.

Simon Burns: In line with the Government's commitment to devolve power to communities, decisions about national health services locally is essentially a matter for the local NHS. People, patients, general practitioners (GPs) and councils are best placed to determine the nature of their local NHS services.
	We have outlined four new, strengthened criteria that decisions on NHS service changes are expected to meet. They must demonstrate strengthened public and patient engagement; consider patient choice; have support from GP commissioners; and be based on sound clinical evidence. Patient access issues should be taken into account as part of this process.

NHS: Disclosure of Information

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will instruct each part of the NHS to lift any gagging restrictions on (a) present and (b) former NHS staff that (i) have and (ii) have had the effect of withholding from the public and the media information, evidence or justified concerns about levels of care in the NHS.

Anne Milton: The Public Interest Disclosure Act provides that any clause or term in a contract, or other agreement between a worker and their employer is void in so far as it purports to preclude the worker from making a protected disclosure.
	Health Service Circular 1999/198 made it clear that local national health service trusts should have in place policies and procedures which prohibit confidentiality “gagging” clauses in contracts of employment which seek to prevent the disclosure of information in the public interest, which includes information, evidence or justified concerns about levels of care in the NHS.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has for the future funding of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.

Anne Milton: The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is continuing.
	For the financial year 2012-13, the Department will continue to manage the service level agreement with NHS Supply Chain on behalf of primary care trusts, who will contribute to the scheme in proportion to their overall, allocations.

Strokes

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to maintain the supply of products for the prevention of a transient ischaemic attack that meet National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines.

Simon Burns: The Department works closely with manufacturers and other representatives of the medicines supply chain to ensure that patients get the medicines they need, when they need them.
	We have no reason to believe that companies supplying the medicines recommended for the treatment and prevention of transient ischaemic attack in accordance with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance (aspirin, clopidogrel and modified release dipyridamole) are not able to meet current demand from United Kingdom patients.